You know what they say about ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. And, hey, if missed chances were goals, West Ham United might have had something tangible to show from their visit to Premier League title challengers Manchester City this weekend.
As it is, those chances were squandered, the afternoon was wasted, and West Ham United are now destined to celebrate Christmas closer to Burnley in 19th than they are to 17th and safety.
Nuno Espirito Santo felt the frustration of a fanbase who travelled all the way up to Manchester and watched their side go 1-0 down inside just four minutes.
Alphonse Areola was needed to keep the score respectable – can a 3-0 defeat can ever be described as ‘respectable’, even against a team of this quality? – while Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and Lucas Paqueta flattered to deceive at the other end.
How do YOU feel now about Nuno’s West Ham reign? 💡
Does he have a point or is he simply deluding himself?
Nuno Espirito Santo pleased by West Ham United’s second-half showing at Manchester City
Now, it became a weekly occurrence during the Graham Potter era that a West Ham boss would front up to the media on the back of a defeat and attempt to find the positives hiding away like a needle in a city-wide haystack.
Nuno, of course, tends to be a more measured, realistic speaker.
Yet, even the biggest critics of the current head coach would have to agree that his side did show a response at the break.
“We conceded really early. We made things hard in terms of the game plan, the way we wanted to do it. The first spells of the game were not good. We lost balls, we didn’t go out [and press],” Nuno said in quotes reported by the club’s official website.
“We were much improved in the second half, much improved. Eventually, with one of those chances, we could change the game around and get us back in the game.
“The performance was not so good in the first half, but better in the second half, so the biggest challenge is to try and do it from the beginning.”
Nuno hails ‘incredible’ Hammers fans during Etihad trip
The previously anonymous Bowen nipped in ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma and hit the side netting from an almost impossible angle. The skipper then fizzed a much more presentable chance wide of the post.
Erling Haaland’s 69th minute effort, his second of the afternoon and his 19th of the Premier League season, brought an end to any lingering hopes of a comeback, though.
“It’s very hard to play against City,” Nuno adds. “They are a very good team. But the belief was there, and especially with the support of our fans. They were incredible, even when we were losing, and they keep believing and try to support the boys.
“We have to keep this idea that everything is possible and we require improvement. [The fans will be] crucial for us the next games at the London Stadium.
“In the beginning of the second half, in the situations that we created, clear chances that could change [the game].”
Who was YOUR West Ham Man of the Match? ☹️
Tell us who and why in the comments!
Jarrod Bowen still believes West Ham are heading in the right direction
While Man City narrowly outperformed their ‘expected goals’ tally – scoring three from an XG of 2.43 – West Ham failed to find a way past Donnarumma despite an XG of 0.99.
“The reaction was good,” Bowen protests. “In the second half, and particularly in that first 15 minutes, I thought we were a lot better at stepping onto them and creating our own chances.
“We’re playing one of the best teams in the world, and you can see the chances you get from putting them under pressure.
“On another day, a couple of the chances might go in and make it a different game,” Nuno adds. “But ultimately it’s a 3-0 loss which is disappointing. It’s just more disappointing because I think we allowed them a little too much at the start.
“Maybe that’s going to be a bit of a reminder to ourselves that regardless of the opposition, if we can get on the front foot and apply pressure, we can carve out good chances. It’s down to us to do that earlier.
“We’ve lost today, which is disappointing, and now we have to give everything to turn it around quickly.”
West Ham have now lost three and won none of their last six matches. Despite that, there has been an upturn in the overall standard of their performance. Bowen knows that West Ham must improve when protecting leads, but there was never any real chance they were ever going to go a goal up at the Etihad.
“Overall, I think over the last few weeks, the performances have definitely improved, and the fighting spirit has improved,” Bowen insists. “We feel like we’re in a good place to go into the games we’ve got coming up, and we know what we have to do.
“We’re creating opportunities and we’re in games, so we have to take the positives out of a negative situation. When you’re not creating opportunities and don’t have chances, it’s tough on your confidence, but I do think we’ve been improving consistently.
“We just have to keep doing that, and work on the things to help us get over the line. We have to keep doing the right things every day, coming into training and training well. Then when it’s the weekend, we just need to trust in ourselves, and trust that things will change.”
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
