West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo refused to be drawn on Aston Villa’s almighty turnaround against Nottingham Forest after losing to Tottenham.
Earlier this week, Villa were widely criticised for their approach when they lost to Spurs, with the win for Roberto De Zerbi’s men proving a potentially fatal blow to West Ham’s hopes of staying in the Premier League.
Three points for Spurs came just a day after Nuno’s side lost to Brentford and it meant the Hammers were back in the Premier League’s relegation zone with only three games left to play.
What changes would you make to this team and why? 👀
Unai Emery made seven changes for that game after his team lost to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, though his approach was vindicated after Villa thrashed their Midlands rivals 4-0 in the second leg.
It was a debate that raged for days and, on Friday, Nuno was quizzed about it during his pre-match press conference.
Nuno insists he is only focused on West Ham amid Villa debate
Towards the end of the press conference at Rush Green, Nuno was asked by a reporter whether he’d watched on as Villa booked their spot in the Europa League final.
“I watch all the games,” he said.
To boo or not to boo, that is the question… 😂
When pressed on the difference in their performances between Thursday’s second leg and their loss to Tottenham, he said while smiling: “Focus on ourselves. We cannot judge the decisions. It’s up to you to try and impact where you want. It’s your team, your game, your decisions. This is what I think and I’m focused on.”
It’s a response that echoes a strong voice among the fan base. Hammers News asked their readers and subscribers on TalkingPoints what they made about it all.
Indeed, West Ham fans believe they have to focus on themselves too.
Favours from Villa would have been nice but the team had 35 league games to get themselves into a position where that wasn’t necessary.
The only option left for West Ham is that they respond against Arsenal on Sunday, no matter how difficult it may be.
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