Manager Nuno Espirito Santo slammed his 19th-placed team’s courage after their home humiliation against Brentford, which prepares for Friday’s trip to Leeds.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has urged West Ham to show a “different face” in Friday’s six-point relegation clash with Leeds after a disastrous home debut. However, the Portuguese coach admitted the team is “very” far from establishing an identity under his direction after three games without a win.
Santo made five experimental changes to the squad and a further three at half-time, but the 19th-placed side were left in disarray and booed after a 2-0 defeat at Brentford.
The former Wolves, Spurs and Forest manager said his biggest concern was losing too many “individual matches” against their London rivals. “We have to win individual battles, so I’m worried about that,” he said.
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Santo, who have picked up one point from their first three games, will take their team to Leeds on Friday to face one of the top three promoted sides in the Premier League. It’s definitely not a place for the faint of heart.
Seventh-placed Sunderland are already 10 points adrift of the Hammers, with West Ham, Wolves and Forest among the established teams in serious danger of faltering this season.
The minimum requirement is to finish above Leeds and Burnley.
Speaking under the lights at Elland Road on Friday night, Santo said: “The good thing is it’s coming soon. It’s coming early, within four days. And if we want to, we have to show a different situation, a different face. We have to improve a lot of things.”
He is backed up by statistics. West Ham lost five consecutive home games in the top flight for the first time since 1931, and went from UEFA Conference League champions to relegation candidates in just over two years. Brentford had 22 shots and hit the woodwork twice, but Igor Thiago’s goal was ruled out due to a narrow VAR offside ruling. West Ham had one shot on target.
German striker Nicola Furkrug was ruled out again on Friday with a thigh muscle strain, and Sant made five changes to the team, including Lucas Paqueta as a false nine against Brentford. He introduced three defenders and switched to a back five after the break, but the team was second best.
Nuno has philosophized about the ‘West Ham way’ and finding the team’s identity since arriving last month
But the Portuguese said: “It is very far from what we all want, but we have to insist and do everything in our power to achieve it.”
Santo admitted he was “concerned” about the performance, as were the fans at the London Stadium. “This concern has become silence, and the silence has become anxiety, and we have a problem,” he said. “It’s up to us to change this.”
Scotland midfielder Andy Irving, making his first home start after more than two years at the club, continued: “Mentally I think we can be better. And I think sometimes our challenge is to play good football and move the ball forward and connect. We have another game on Friday night so we have four days to prepare for that. We have to go out there and perform even better.”
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