West Ham’s solid defensive display earned them a much-needed point against Manchester City last weekend.
The Hammers had one shot to Man City’s 21 and still came away with a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
However, Joe Cole believes that Nuno Espirito Santo got lucky in his coaching battle with Pep Guardiola.
In his opinion, Nuno has Crysencio Summerville’s injury to thank for West Ham’s hard-fought result.
Genuinely HEROIC! 💪
When was the last time you saw a defensive performance better than that?!
Joe Cole says Crysencio Summerville injury benefited West Ham
Nuno has shown tactical flexibility with his team selections lately, but one constant has been picking four defenders.
Whether it be a 4-4-2, a 4-3-3, or a 4-2-3-1, the Portuguese boss has been happy to stick with a four-man defensive setup.
However, Cole has suggested that Summerville’s calf injury forced Nuno into playing five defenders against Man City.
While many have praised Nuno for making the change, Cole described it as a “bit of luck” that saved the day.
“You need to get a bit of luck, right? Obviously, you’ve lost your best player, arguably, Summerville. So he’s injured,” Cole explained on The Dressing Room.
“And I think Nuno, if he was fit, would have gone [with a] back four – the same thing, because everything’s going well, just a bit of momentum. And I think Man City would have probably won the game.
“But he’s out, and then it’s made Nuno think, ‘Right, I’m not going to go like for like. I’m going to bring an extra centre-half in.’ And they marshalled Haaland better.”
Either way, Hammers fans were delighted with the result and hope it will inspire a victory against Aston Villa on Sunday.
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