Nuno Espirito Santo took charge of his first game for West Ham United on Monday, resulting in a 1-1 draw against David Moyes’ in-form Everton.
The Portuguese coach kept things relatively similar in his first game in charge, with the only big emission from the squad being James Ward-Prowse — someone Espirito Santo knows well from his time at Forest.
Espirito Santo’s first job will be to stabilise this group, after shipping 13 goals in five games, making them the worst defensive outfit in the league.
In this article, we’ll cover
How West Ham could line up
Espirito Santo has set up in a variety of different formations in his time in the Premier League, primarily using a back five for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He shifted between a back five and back four with Forest and playing a 4-3-3 with Tottenham back in 2021.
Under Graham Potter, West Ham were also shifting between a back five and back four. Potter looked to solidify his defensive unit and stop leaking goals, after West Ham conceded 39 goals in 20 league games under Julen Lopetegui.
Espirito Santo will look to solidify the defensive unit upon arrival, something Potter managed to do to some degree. But Potter had little avail when it came to picking up points.
Espirito Santo’s team selection will be the key to striking balance between a solid defensive unit, but one that can pose their own threat on the counter, something his Nottingham Forest side specialised in last season.
The likes of Mateus Fernandes, Lucas Paqueta and Soungoutou Magassa will be key in the middle of the park to add mobility, having players who can impact the ball on both ends, putting in their defensive contributions before being able to break out of their defensive block to pose a counter-attacking threat.
An interesting opening game
We saw some clear prints on this West Ham set up from Espirito Santo despite only being in the job a matter of days, picking his lineup very much based on physicality.
The Hammers held 48% possession, but managed to generate 1.19 Expected Goals compared to just 0.73 xG from Everton. Espirito Santo’s side also took more shots (14) and created more big chances (1).
West Ham set up in a flexible 4-2-3-1 on the ball, with Fernandes dropping deep to dictate play and break the lines, both full-backs pushing up to support attacks and the wingers tucked inside to be closer to the box.
The Hammers also pressed in a 4-1-4-1 shape off the ball, applying more pressure in the middle of the pitch than their previous games this season, which was often shown by their Passes Per Defensive Action being the highest in the league (17.0).
Not only can Espirito Santo’s style of football help to solidify West Ham at the back, it will also bring the best out of their forwards, launching attacks quickly and attacking the space left in behind by the opposition.
Counter attacking football
Last campaign, Nottingham Forest held just 40.7% possession on average (only Everton and Ipswich having less), also making the fewest passes per game last season with 284.8, the only team with under 300 passes per match.
Espirito Santo’s Forest made 10.7 tackles in their defensive third last season, the second-highest in the Premier League, showing their resilience and willingness to defend in a low block, using this as a weapon to then hit teams on the break.
Being willing to sit in a deep block, you will invite pressure from the opposition team to throw more bodies forward as they look to break you down, this will leave gaps in transition and space for players to attack.
This will be a theme from Espirito Santo’s side, with Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen having the ability to carry West Ham out on the break, Fernandes being able to both carry and progress via passing, while the flying fullbacks will offer support when West Ham look to break.
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Nuno’s secret weapon
As we continue to refer to the importance of having threat to break out of a low block and offer something going the other way, athletic full-backs are a key component of a typical Espirito Santo’s side.
Summer signing, El Hadji Malick Diouf is exactly that, shown from his bursting run and cross into the box leading to Bowen’s goal against Everton, generating a dangerous chance out of nothing.
Since arriving, Diouf is averaging 1.83 progressive carries per 90 minutes, 3.00 progressive passes per 90, receiving 5.00 progressive passes per 90 and delivering 4.50 crosses per 90.
Having a full-back who can burst forward after regaining possession, cover large distances and deliver balls into the box with extreme quality will be a real weapon for Espirito Santo’s side, so don’t be surprised if a few goals this season come from those breaks, with Diouf picking out Niclas Fullkrug in the box.
West Ham have been in poor form for some time now, so any stability will likely be welcomed from the fanbase, making the job slightly easier for Espirito Santo’s, where simple decisions can make big differences.