One underrated aspect of the Nuno Espirito Santo influence at West Ham, ahead of Thursday’s trip to Manchester United, is that the Achilles heel which left Graham Potter limping appears to have been strengthened.
Not fixed, not yet at least, but strengthened certainly.
After losing 2-1 at Leeds at the end of October, West Ham United had conceded nine goals from corners and free-kicks across their first nine matches of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
In the four games since that rock-bottom reverse in West Yorkshire though, they have not been breached even once from either a corner or a free-kick situation.
Considering that Nuno Espirito Santo highlighted this ‘big problem’ immediately after he replaced Graham Potter two months ago, the experienced Iberian will be pleased with the progress made in this particular area of West Ham’s game, even if obvious weaknesses still remain elsewhere.
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s clash at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim has backed Nuno to keep progressing in charge of a team who have accumulated more points in their last four games [seven] than across the first nine combined [four].
Yet, their improved set-piece record is likely to come under serious scrutiny tonight. After all, Man United have now joined Arsenal at the top of the table with a record 10 set piece goals apiece in 2025/26.
Konstantinos Mavropanos, provided he is fit enough to start two games in four days, is likely to come in extremely handy then.
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United will pose a big test for Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham
The Red Devils bounced back from a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty to beat Crystal Palace last time out.
The West Ham-linked Joshua Zirkzee ended a 12-month Premier League goal drought as he raced onto a clever Bruno Fernandes free-kick to lash home from a tight angle. Mason Mount then fired the winner through an errant Palace wall to complete the comeback.
So while Nuno is demanding big improvements from an attacking perspective – the Hammers did not register a single shot on target against Liverpool on Sunday – he will also realise the colossal importance of staying alert in set-piece situations.
“First of all, it’s a group thing and we improved a lot in that department,” Amorim said in his pre-match press conference when explaining Man United’s new-found specialty. “There’s nothing to do with me, so I’m really upset with that!
“But we have analyst Kaita [Hasegawa] who’s doing all the study. We have the data guys that we brought that give us information, and then Carlos [Fernandes, assistant manager] is doing the research, seeing all the opponents, all the moments of the opponents, watching all the training, all our games, what we need to improve.
“In this league, set-pieces can win you games or you can lose if you don’t pay attention to that.”
West Ham know this all too well, of course.
The introduction of Alphonse Areola in place of Mads Hermansen has certainly made a difference. West Ham’s number one has been in ‘incredible’ form of late. Areola is also physically stronger and far more commanding than Hermansen when it comes to dealing with high balls into his penalty box.
Nuno dropped Max Kilman for Konstantinos Mavropanos last time out too. Do not be surprised if the latter starts in place of the former again tonight. Mavropanos, for all his critics, remains West Ham’s most potent aerial presence inside their own defensive third.
The good news for West Ham is that, although Man United are becoming set-piece specialists in the opposition box, they still have a habit of conceding a fair few in their own. The spring-heeled Harry Maguire and Benjamin Sesko are both absent, although Ruben Amorim has Mateus Cunha back available.
“I think we are attacking better than we are defending,” adds Amorim, who famously held talks with West Ham back in 2024 while still at Sporting Lisbon. “when you are defending, you need to take the ball out.
“If we don’t have Casemiro, not Sesko, not Harry, you have to make a balance.
“Our league is like that at the moment. You need to think not just the way you are going to play, but also in set-pieces. So, of course, if you look with a little bit of attention to the league, you understand that set-pieces are massive for the game.”
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
