West Ham have won their last two games after winning just one of their first 10 across all competitions this season.
The Hammers seem to have finally clicked in the 2025-26 season. After defeating Newcastle and Burnley, they’ve tasted a win streak for the first time since February (Arsenal and Leicester).
And against all odds, they came from behind to win both recent matches. A team that had spent six games without a win and had such a poor start to the campaign shouldn’t be that resilient. Credit to them.
It’s still early to make big, general statements, but it’s worth taking a look at the changes that manager Nuno Espirito Santo has made as of late.
How have West Ham turned the tide?
If it ain’t broken…
When West Ham ended their six-game winless run against the Magpies, Nuno liked what he saw enough to run it back against the Clarets. That was the first time the Hammers went with the same lineup and the same formation for two consecutive matches this season.
West Ham vs Newcastle and Burnley: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Diouf; Potts, Fernandes, Paqueta; Bowen, Summerville, Wilson.
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As a result, a few other things remained the same – besides the starting XI: going 1-0 down, the win and the three goals. Plus Tomas Soucek scoring after coming off the bench.
West Ham started the season playing with a back-three under Graham Potter, a system that Nuno tinkered with briefly. He also tried an unorthodox 4-3-1-2 that backfired completely against Brentford.
Now, he seems to have settled for the 4-3-3, which can sometimes turn into a 4-1-4-1 – which he previously used in his first two games in charge, against Everton and Arsenal.
Striker change
Another change that stands out, other than the formation, is the striker. Nuno has now experimented with basically every prototype: target man (Niclas Fullkrug), false nine (Lucas Paqueta) and ‘last shoulder’ nine (Callum Wilson). The latter seems to have worked – so far at least.
After previously resisting to starting Wilson, the Portuguese manager has given the English striker the nod in each of the last two games. Before that, he came off the bench against Leeds and was an unused sub vs Brentford, Arsenal and Everton.
The former Newcastle and Bournemouth has repaid the boss’ faith, finding the net against Burnley. Now, he will look to score in consecutive games for the first time since May 2024, when he did so against Sheffield United and the Clarets themselves.
Overall style of play
The Hammers have been relying a lot on movement and fast-paced sequences under Nuno Espirito Santos. It manifested in good and bad games, looking like a staple of the manager’s plans for the team.
In fact, it was most notable in one of their worst performances of the season, losing 0-2 vs Brentford. Bowen, Summerville, Paqueta and Fernandes formed an interchanging four-men grouping that switched positions around all the time, roaming freely in the attacking half. It has dialed down a little bit recently, but players are never restricted to one specific part of the pitch.
West Ham have also been going direct more often. Two of their three games with the highest average of pass distance have been their two recent wins.
Key stats:
- 20.6m average pass distance vs Newcastle
- 20.5m average pass distance vs Tottenham
- 20.1m average pass distance vs Burnley
They have also been getting more shots off. The Hammers had 15 attempts in each of their wins against the Magpies and the Clarets – their most in a game this season across all competitions.
Considering that West Ham’s next three matches will be vs Bournemouth, Liverpool and Manchester United, the win streak may not go on for too long. It’s also worth noting that their two wins have been at home and they will play three of their next four on the road.
Still, this recent stretch stands out enough relative to their previous performances that fans can hope that things are actually getting better and it’s not just a ‘fluke’. Now it’s on them to keep the good times rolling.