Nuno has the perfect West Ham weapon to combat ‘unique’ Bournemouth talent
Nuno Espirito Santo needs his West Ham side to keep Antoine Semenyo at bay on Saturday.
West Ham play Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium with hopes of a third straight Premier League win.
Nuno is doing his best at West Ham to keep them afloat in the top flight despite a torrid start to the campaign under Graham Potter.
Bournemouth are the heavy favourites to beat West Ham, with Semenyo one of the most dangerous players in the division, and he is poised to be a threat against the Irons.
However, Nuno is in luck because he has the one defender who can stop the “unique” Bournemouth talisman.
Kyle Walker-Peters can stop Antoine Semenyo
Kyle Walker-Peters has been great for West Ham, but may have quietly gone under the radar due to all-around poor team performances earlier in the season.
Now that the Hammers are returning to form, it would be no surprise to see Walker-Peters get the flowers that he deserves in return for his solid outings in a West Ham shirt.
Nuno needs to play him against Bournemouth, with the right-back set for his toughest match-up of the season.
- Walker-Peters joined West Ham on a free transfer from Southampton this summer
- He has played 10 Premier League games for Hammers
- Semenyo has nine goal contributions in 11 matches for the Cherries
Walker-Peters can play either right-back or left-back, and his versatility will be key to stopping Semenyo.
Nuno should play the defender at right-back, as Semenyo usually features on the left wing for Andoni Iraola’s side.
According to Sofascore, Walker-Peters wins 2.6 ground duels per game at a success rate of 67 per cent, making him Nuno’s best option to stop the Cherries’ main man.
He even scored off the bench in the Hammers’ win last time out versus Burnley, making him a no-brainer pick for Nuno.
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Jamie Redknapp’s comments show why West Ham need to fear Semenyo
In October, Semenyo starred in Bournemouth’s 3-1 win against Fulham, scoring a brace and grabbing an assist too.
After the match, Jamie Redknapp was full of praise for the Ghanaian’s performance.
Redknapp said, as quoted by Sky Sports: “In the summer, there was obviously a lot of talk he might be leaving the club. I think a lot of clubs came in for him. It’s a joy for the fans to watch him play. I use the word unique about him, he has so many attributes. Not many people normally have that kind of power, but maybe they’ll have the finesse or the skill or the finishing ability. He’s so hard to play against.
“It wasn’t an easy night to play football but somehow great players glide across pitches like that and it’s certainly what he did.”
| Minutes | Goals | Assists | POTM | Rating |
| 90 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9.5 |
If Nuno is able to keep Semenyo from being a threat in the match, West Ham will have their best chance of winning.
Another three points could see the Hammers leapfrog out of the relegation zone, and make a statement to rivals.
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