West Ham: Nuno Espirito Santo to come under the microscope after team selection vs Newcastle
West Ham United will be desperate to get back to winning ways on Sunday when they travel to Newcastle United.
The Hammers suffered a damaging defeat last weekend, with Leandro Trossard scoring a late winner for Arsenal before Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time goal was disallowed for a foul on David Raya.
As a result, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side remain in the bottom three.
They were handed a lifeline on Monday, however, as rivals Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United.
With the gap standing at two points, the Irons know they must claim all three points on Tyneside.
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Nuno rips up defensive formation after Arsenal loss
Switching to a back five seemed the right move for West Ham last time out against the title-chasing Gunners, given their opponents’ quality.
However, following the same approach this weekend seems rather baffling, given the lack of control in midfield last time out.
| West Ham lineup to face Newcastle |
| GK – Mads Hermansen |
| CB – Jean-Clair Todibo |
| CB – Axel Disasi |
| CB – Kostas Mavropanos |
| RWB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka |
| DM – Tomas Soucek |
| DM – Mateus Fernandes |
| LWB – Malick Diouf |
| LW – Crysencio Summerville |
| ST – Callum Wilson |
| RW – Jarrod Bowen |
The formation worked to an extent against Arsenal, given that it allowed the Hammers to play on the counter.
But playing a Newcastle side with a physical midfield trio, the Irons may suffer as a result, with the pair of Tomas Soucek and Mateus Fernandes up against Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Nick Woltemade.
Hopefully, the visitors are able to play on the break effectively, but the continued use of a back five could be damaging on Tyneside.
Wilson comes into the side in place of Tatty Castellanos in the only change from last time out.
West Ham in need of big Chelsea favour
For Tottenham, it has been a dismal season, with the Lilywhites dragged into a relegation battle.
In most other years, this would have given Hammers fans plenty to celebrate, but that is far from the case this time, with the two London clubs locked in a fight to stay in the top flight.
Because of the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City on Saturday, Spurs’ clash with the Blues has been pushed back to the following Tuesday – a match that could prove decisive in shaping the fate of both West Ham and Tottenham.
With that Tuesday showdown in mind, Nuno and his side may yet be handed one final lifeline, though they will need the West London club to come out on top.
As a result, the battle could go down to the final day, when the Hammers host Leeds.
A win over Newcastle could lift the Irons out of the bottom three before Tottenham face Chelsea, and perhaps keep them there until the final day.