Nuno Espirito Santo is yet to record his first win as West Ham manager
West Ham’s miserable Premier League campaign continued with a defeat at Leeds on Friday, marking their worst start to a season in 52 years.
The result was their third consecutive defeat under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who remains winless since succeeding Graham Potter in September.
The Hammers, currently 19th in the table, have only managed one victory this season, ironically against Nottingham Forest, when Nuno was at the helm at the City Ground.
Their dismal return of just four points represents West Ham’s joint-worst performance at this stage of a league campaign, a feat mirrored in the second tier in 1932-33 and in the top flight in 1973-74, though they narrowly avoided relegation on both occasions.
Appointed to ensure West Ham avoid relegation, which would see them outside the Premier League for the first time since 2011-12, Nuno is struggling to find solutions, despite securing a point in his debut match against Everton.
“There are many problems in our club unfortunately. It is not up to us to hide ourselves behind the problems. Everyone has to be alive and to do much more and be in the right position,” the Portuguese manager stated.
“We were not dealing with our defensive situations and I felt like we needed a striker to hold the ball, so maybe that’s not the greatest from me.
“These kind of mistakes are unacceptable in the Premier League.”
Nuno, also the first West Ham manager since Manuel Pellegrini in September 2018 to fail to secure a win in his first four Premier League games, added: “There is quality there, there is time, but nothing will happen if we don’t change.
“We must change our attitude, we must change the way we approach things, we must commit ourselves better, prepare better, work harder.
“All the things – that is the reality. We don’t expect things to change by themselves. Realising we have time can be a mistake if we don’t change things around quickly.”
Leeds beat West Ham as Nuno’s wait for first win goes on
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Leeds earn big win amid more West Ham woe
While only Nottingham Forest and Wolves, also in the bottom three, have scored fewer goals in the top flight this season, West Ham’s primary concern lies in their defense.
The London club has already conceded 20 goals this season, four more than bottom-placed Wolves.
Nine of these goals have come from corners, triple the amount conceded by any other team (Aston Villa, Fulham, and Leeds each have three), marking the highest number conceded by any team at this stage of a Premier League season.
Furthermore, former West Ham and England goalkeeper Rob Green questioned the wisdom of Nuno’s tactical approach in recent matches, highlighting the decision to start full-backs Ollie Scarles and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the opposite sides to their preferred positions as a clear misstep.
“It was a repeat from Monday night [a loss to Brentford], a shape we didn’t understand, inverted full-backs, full-backs on the wrong side – it didn’t work on Monday and they did it again,” Green told Sky Sports.
“I don’t understand how you can make five substitutions and have a better XI and better shape than what you started with. None of it is making any sense.
“They’re in trouble, this is perilous, we have seen teams go on these losing runs and disappear out of the Premier League.”
West Ham’s haul of four points from their first nine games of the Premier League season is their joint-worst return at this stage of a league campaign
Collectively, West Ham covered just over 6km less than Leeds on Friday night.
More alarmingly, their response to conceding two goals within 15 minutes was concerning.
As Leeds gained confidence, the visitors appeared drained, only mounting a comeback too late to salvage a point.
“A dressing room when you’re second bottom of the league is low,” West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen told Sky Sports.
“The only way this will change is if we step up and show some fight. We need more of that. It’s easy to hide and be scared almost. It’s easier said and harder to do sometimes.
“Roll your sleeves up and dig in. No-one will give this to us. We’re in a real situation and we have to face the reality of that. You have to face up to the reality of where we are and we’re in trouble now.
“The Premier League is the hardest league. We’re not playing well and not getting results. We need to change it. We’re the only ones that can change it.”
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