Nuno Espirito Santo may have felt rather spoiled for choice when asked what West Ham will need to improve upon if they are to avoid a repeat of that insipid Liverpool display away to Manchester United on Thursday evening.
For the second matchday in a row, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was the Hammers’ stand-out performer.
He might not have racked up a saves tally in the double figures – Areola was ‘incredible’ away at Bournemouth eight days earlier – but West Ham United again needed the experienced glovesman to restrict their opponents to a pair of goals and no more.
From an attacking perspective, the statistics are even more damning.
Callum Wilson had only 15 touches against Liverpool. Captain Jarrod Bowen is on a seven-game drought in the Premier League. Even El Hadji Malick Diouf – West Ham’s left-back was the first to record three assists across Europe’s top five leagues – has not set up a goal since the end of the Graham Potter era.
Against a Liverpool side who arrived at the London Stadium having conceded seven times in their previous two outings against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, Nuno Espirito Santo’s toothless outfit failed to even register a shot on target.
That, by the way, was the second time West Ham went through 90-plus minutes without testing the opposition goalkeeper. David Raya was a mere spectator when Arsenal swept their London neighbours aside at the Emirates in early-October.
Nuno Espirito Santo demands greater quality as West Ham prepare for Manchester United
Nuno was happy enough with West Ham’s application and their togetherness last time out. But he knows that, if they are to have a chance of repeating last season’s Old Trafford triumph, far more will be required in the final third.
Jarrod Bowen, in particular, will be desperate to get off the mark again.
“Each game is a new story. It was a tough game against Liverpool. We competed well for good spells but we didn’t achieve the result, but the feeling is that we competed until the last minute,” Nuno says.
“We have to improve many things. I think we played good in terms of offensive play. We tried to do the same things but [we needed] a better decision in the final third; the accuracy of the pass, the shot, the combination.
“That’s what we expect to happen on Thursday, that we achieve good moments and we finish our actions. It makes a big difference when the players realise that after such a good combination, which is hard, the final action is not there.
“That is what we have to look for.”
Jarrod Bowen scored a hat-trick to end his last seven-game goal drought
One good omen, though. The last time the captain failed to score in seven straight league matches, Bowen ended his drought with a hat-trick against Brentford at the beginning of 2024.
A repeat of that is highly unlikely of course – Mo Salah is the only opposition player to record an Old Trafford treble in the Premier League era – but Bowen did net home and away against Man United last season.
“We work on the training field by repetition, by trying to innovate,” adds Nuno. “If it is required, if it is not working, we have to change. But we work a lot on the training ground.”
Nuno praises Ruben Amorim’s job at resurgent Manchester United
In a game of fine margins, Bowen came a whisker away from potentially earning a point for West Ham against Liverpool. His only meaningful shot of the day fizzed narrowly wide before the visitors went down the other end and sealed the win through Cody Gakpo in stoppage time.
There will be even greater pressure on the skipper’s shoulders on Thursday. Nuno confirms that Crysencio Summerville will likely miss out again. And while the West Ham boss is backing Lucas Paqueta to bounce back and silence his critics following that ludicrous red card, his most creative player is also unavailable.
“I think they are a good team and they are playing good,” Nuno says of a Man United side who have won four and lost one of their last seven matches. “We can see in the game against [Crystal Palace, a 2-1 away win on Sunday] that they can compete well.
“We expect a tough opponent, full of talented players. We can see how many teams United are competing against. The impressive thing is there, it’s for everybody to see.
“[Ruben Amorim and I] have met each other many times. All the respect for him. We are companions in the job that we do.
“I look at Ruben, I look at Man United, I look at their players. How can we compete against Man United? How can we take advantage? How can we contain them? This is what I am focused on.”
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