West Ham United received the ‘Nathan Redmond treatment’ from Pep Guardiola following Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
In truth, it feels a bit patronising when a manager of a side who have just cruised past you is calling an outfit stuck in the relegation zone with thirteen points a ‘good, good team’.
West Ham United have seldom looked like a half-decent team for much of this season, let alone a particularly ‘good’ one.
Erling Haaland was gifted the easiest brace he will score all term. Nuno Espirito Santo was the subject of gallows humour from a fanbase who have seen this sort of performance time and again – Don Hutchison felt Lucas Paqueta’s ‘tame’ 78th minute free-kick summed them up – and barring a couple of half chances just after the interval, Man City barely needed to stray out of second gear.
❓What did YOU make of Lucas Paqueta’s Man City performance?
Pep Guardiola won't be paying £80m for him these days…
Yet, Guardiola still came over all 2017 when, like during his infamous post-match eulogising of then-Southampton winger Redmond, he raved about the talent at Nuno’s disposal.
Pep Guardiola hails West Ham United trio Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Crysencio Summerville
Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and Lucas Paqueta. Underwhelming on the day, for much of 2025/26 as a whole really, but the sort of talent most teams in West Ham’s position would give an arm and a leg for.
First of all, Guardiola paid tribute to his irrepressible number nine. That is 19 Premier League goals for the season now. More than any West Ham player has ever managed in a single top-flight campaign, by the way.
“Thanks, Erling. Always I have to thank Erling for the goals. But today thanks to him and Phil [Foden] and Nico O’Reilly. Defensively, we are improving [too],” Guardiola said.
“When I wake up in the morning, I say, ‘Let’s see how the team is playing, what we can improve, what we can do better’. This is the only thing that makes me feel I’m still here, sitting in front of this beautiful audience to talk about my thoughts about the game.
“And I like it because many things have been done really well. I’m pleased. Maybe we were a bit tired at some moments. I know that team [West Ham]. They [were only denied] at Brighton away last minute. Aston Villa could [barely] beat them.
“Summerville, Fernandes, Bowen… Bowen! What a player! They are top players, I know that. Forget about the position [in the table], you know. They are a good, good team.”
How do YOU feel now about Nuno’s West Ham reign? 💡
Does he have a point or is he simply deluding himself?
Guardiola praises Man City’s first half control in Etihad win
Both Nuno and Bowen took the positives from what was an undoubtedly improved second-half showing, albeit the bar was not particularly high. The captain fizzed one very presentable chance wide of target at 2-0. Had that gone in, a team who have already accumulated eight points from losing positions under Nuno might have had more to say for themselves.
“The second half was a consequence because they made a step up. They had nothing to lose at 2-0 down,” Guardiola adds.
“In the first half, we controlled. How many shots did they have in the first half? Zero. None.”
Nuno’s team will now face Fulham, Brighton, Wolves and Nottingham Forest in their next four Premier League matches. With Leeds pulling further clear thanks to their 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace, one suspects the Hammers really cannot afford to let things stagnate any longer.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
