It’s typical of West Ham United’s season, really, that Nuno Espirito Santo’s Premier League strugglers could fix one issue and then find another pop up in the immediate aftermath.
Throughout the entire Graham Potter era, the Hammers won only three points from losing positions.
In their first nine matches under Nuno Espirito Santo, though, West Ham United accumulated eight. Fighting back to draw at Everton and Manchester United while also responding to early setbacks to beat both Newcastle and Burnley.
The problem is, this new-found sense of ‘bouncebackability’ has also coincided with an unhelpful tendency to give away leads in the dying embers. Upton Park icon Tony Gale questioned Nuno’s game-management when AFC Bournemouth came from 2-0 down at the Vitality Stadium.
Wow… 😲 How would YOU solve this problem at West Ham?
He could be sacked by February if this does not change…
Georginio Rutter’s equaliser for Brighton was controversial, yes. But captain Jarrod Bowen felt West Ham had to look at themselves too. Sitting too deep in a desperate attempt to protect a narrow advantage, inviting pressure and paying the price.
Thanks to Morgan Rogers’ quickfire Aston Villa double last time out, West Ham have now lost six points in the last five matches from the 79th minute onwards.
Nuno Espirito Santo says West Ham United must learn how to protect leads
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City, the in-form Mateus Fernandes indicated that West Ham lack ‘some maturity’. The composure and the nous to hang on and not let an advantage they worked so hard for slip away.
As for Nuno, the former Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham coach has fixed a number of issues since taking charge. Nuno credits goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for bringing about a marked improvement in their set-piece record. Eight points won from losing positions in nine games is a vast improvement on three from 23 under Potter.
The next item on Nuno’s to-do list, then, is to ensure a repeat of those Brighton, Bournemouth and Aston Villa disappointments is not forthcoming.
“[Brighton and Aston Villa were] different, different games. But that was missing, [our ability] to manage the game and close the game down,” Nuno said during his press conference on Thursday lunchtime. “To make that good performance into a good result is something we have to improve on. Games have been getting away from [our grasp].
“As we mentioned before, we have been doing really nice things throughout the game, but missing some aspects in closing the game down. In terms of performance, we are playing well. Our reference point is the game against Villa.
“The boys played a really good match and it was disappointing in the end. If you look at all the situations we created, and the situations we didn’t allow Villa to create, we were punished by details and mistakes. It’s up to us to correct it.
“We are in a difficult position. We have to keep and sustain our level of performance throughout the entire game with no oscillations. It is something we have to work on. Saturday [against Man City] is another chance to do it well.”
Just how on earth can West Ham BEAT Man City? 😱
And which Hammers stars can make the difference on Saturday?
Nuno says the Hammers must start picking up vital Premier League points and fast
West Ham have not beaten Man City since 2015.
Their task will not be made any easier by the fact that both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf are unavailable due to their African Cup of Nations commitments. Yet, even while losing in heartbreaking fashion against Villa, the performances of Bowen, Fernandes and co suggest that they could at least bloody the nose of Pep Guardiola.
This, after all, is a City side who conceded six goals in successive matches against Leeds and Fulham recently.
“Every game is new. Unfortunately for us, it would be better if we could transform these performances into results,” Nuno adds.
“We need points. With points, the team will play better, the players will release themselves, and everything will be good. We are trying to find solutions and improve the players. We see many of them reaching the level we expect them to reach.
“Now, everything must reflect in the game. Hopefully, things will be better.
“It can happen [mistakes playing on the mind]. At first, we were bouncing back after conceding in the opening actions of the game. We fixed that. Now, we score first but can’t hold onto leads. It’s a different situation, but that is the reality of the game.
“Now, what we have to do is understand that the game lasts 95, sometimes 100 minutes. You have to stick to your concentration and tasks until the end and not get anxious. There is a mental part in our players that we are trying to improve.
They are good, working really hard in training, and getting ready for what is coming. It’s a tough schedule.”
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