Nuno Espirito Santo should be held accountable for West Ham’s struggles after repeatedly making the same mistake.
Nuno has faced serious criticism following West Ham’s 3-1 defeat to Newcastle last weekend.
Many supporters thought his defensive approach was to blame for the dismal performance at St. James’ Park.
It appears that Nuno’s stubbornness in playing three defenders has arguably resulted in West Ham’s relegation.
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We are all but relegated — how would you feel about keeping Nuno in the Championship? 🧑💼
Or was that performance the last straw? 😡
Nuno Espirito Santo stat that explains West Ham’s relegation plight
Nuno enjoyed success with a three-at-the-back formation in his previous jobs with Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
The Portuguese boss has also used the same system with the Hammers on several occasions, but it has rarely worked.
West Ham have picked up just three points (no wins) from six Premier League games under Nuno when playing a back three.
It helped them earn a valuable draw against Manchester City in March, but that was possibly the only positive result.
Apart from the draws against Brighton and Bournemouth, West Ham have lost to Leeds, Arsenal and Newcastle.
The Hammers have clearly been more impressive in a 4-4-2 formation, especially since the January transfer window.
How would you deal with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo? 📝
Should we make them stay or let them go? 🤔
While Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe have struggled to find the back of the net, they have still contributed to the team.
Having four attacking players on the pitch has allowed West Ham to be more aggressive both with and without the ball.
If only Nuno had played that way against the likes of Newcastle and Leeds, perhaps the Hammers would not be in the bottom three.
We will never know the answer to that conundrum, but we do know that Premier League teams have access to detailed statistics.
And you do not have to be a statistician to recognise that West Ham have won many more points per game with a back four.
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