Even the air itself tastes that little bit fresher when you are on a run of good results, but Nuno Espirito Santo insists that the resilience shown by his West Ham United players is not a new phenomenon.
Heading into Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off at home to AFC Bournemouth, the Hammers can leapfrog Nottingham Forest into 17th.
Should their relegation rivals fail to beat Liverpool the following day – Vitor Pereira replaced Sean Dyche at Forest this week to become their third post-Nuno appointment of 2025/26 – West Ham United will go into matchday 28 outside of the bottom three.
No Potts, no Pablo – but Todibo is back!
What changes would YOU make to this potential XI v Bournemouth? 🤔
They are on a run of five wins in seven games across league and cup. Make it six in eight, and that ‘Great Escape’ really will be on.
Nuno Espirito Santo hails the ‘character’ of West Ham United’s players
Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference, though, Nuno Espirito Santo insists that they were no doubts about the determination and the survival instincts of his charges even when the black clouds were gathering and acid rain was pouring down from above.
Even in their lowest moments, Nuno says the ‘character’ of his players has been evident.
“I don’t see much difference [in the player’s attitude in recent weeks] because I see them train every day, preparing themselves,” Nuno says. “What I realise is a commitment and a desire to get out of this situation, and this desire is there every day.
“We see them work, getting ready for the games and helping each other. This is what we want and what we need.
“Character, character. I think we’ve been able to show character in difficult circumstances. They are ready for the battle. This is what we work on; getting ready and trying to get enough details [right].”
Nuno says Bournemouth clash on Saturday is a ‘massive game’
Nuno spoke glowingly about Taty Castellanos’ impact since that £27 million January move from Lazio. Crysencio Summerville is in ‘almost unstoppable’ form on the left-hand side – only Manchester United have managed to stop him scoring in the last seven matches – while Jarrod Bowen had rediscovered his golden touch as well.
Five straight draws between West Ham and Bournemouth! ⚒️ v 🍒
What should Nuno do to END that run this weekend?
This, plus the deadline day addition of Axel Disasi, the returns of Jean-Clair Todibo and El Hadji Malick Diouf from suspension and AFCON, means West Ham suddenly look a whole lot better at both ends of the pitch.
“I see it as another game. We have to focus on ourselves, do our jobs, and ignore what is happening with other teams. It is a massive game for us at home. I expect again a good atmosphere at the London Stadium, the fans helping us and us helping the fans, so we can overcome [this] together.”
“We have to play the game and realise it’s a tough opponent in a good dynamic, playing well with good results. They have good players and a good manager. We know it’s going to be tough, but it’s up to us to put in a good performance.”
“It’s a big test. It’s a good team. It’s about realising the threats that they have and the good players that they have and trying to contain them. At the same time, it is very important for us—the need that we have overcomes everything. It is up to us to try and play a good game.”
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