Is Nuno the right man for West Ham?

Nuno Espirito Santo will take over as Graham Potter’s manager with West Ham remaining 19th in the Premier League.

Nuno has consistently demonstrated ability to raise the standard of a squad, exceeding expectations, while also serving as manager of Wolves and Nottingham Forest.

West Ham is more in line with the circumstances he faced when he took over Forest, despite his underwhelming stint at Tottenham.

Owners of international football are increasingly focusing on coaches with more possession-based attacking play.

Despite winning the Europa Conference League in 2023, David Moyes’ style at West Ham was perceived as having less potential than the expansive football that other teams practice, and supporters frequently questioned his pragmatic approach to play.

However, Manuel Pellegrini and his successors Julen Lopetegui and Harry Potter failed to create a successful side in a more ball-dominant manner.

In every career, Nuno has displayed principles more in line with Moyes, West Ham’s most effective manager in the past ten years.

When Nuno’s teams counterattack quickly, they typically have less possession of the ball. Last year, Forest had the third-lowest average possession rate in the league (31%).

His teams’ deep seating helps their opponents avoid having many chances and little room to run back.

Nuno’s five-at-the-back system earned him acclaim at Wolves. However, Forest started most games last year in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

When Forest was pushing up the pitch, Forest would defend in a 4-2-4 formation out of possession. However, they would choose to block space further and keep a low defensive line close to their own goal for a significant portion of the game.

In order to show his versatility, Nuno would switch to a back five and use Brazilian defender Morato from winning positions.

Impressively, Morato’s substitution from the bench did not cause Forest to drop even one point, even though this change made Forest more vulnerable in the later stages of the match.

Nuno’s style is known for its direct attacks, and Forest would pivotally advance them by directly hitting Chris Wood with it.

Before attacking midfielders, particularly Morgan Gibbs-White, picked up the knockdowns, his hold-up play gave the player the ideal backboard to aim for.

Without this, Forest would play quickly down the flanks, causing the wide areas to become overrun. They frequently left the middle of the pitch in order to avoid letting the ball pass through the midfielders.

The message was the same, play the ball quickly up the pitch, whether it was directly into the striker or down the flanks.

Nuno’s appointment seems well-thought out in light of this. West Ham’s weaknesses are minimized by his low-possession, counter-attacking style, which helps maximize the best from their players’ strengths.

West Ham have struggled to develop from the back when under pressure, and they haven’t made risky chances with ease when attempting to score on longer possessions.

The Hammers have made the most of their best players’ strengths, particularly Jarrod Bowen, for the past few seasons, making the most of their best players’ strengths when attacking in transition.

It would not surprise him to use his more popular 4-2-3-1 system if Nuno wants to prioritize defensive strength initially.

Nuno changes the roles of the players in his system based on their qualities despite choosing a general system.

Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga would be asked to play wide in Nuno’s case, using the wingers as an example.

Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez were the wingers against Fulham last season, but they were instead given the opportunity to switch to the infield.

Nuno will work with his strongest players to form a team that will enable them to perform their best work.

El Hadji Malick Diouf’s impressive playing as an attacking full-back this year will likely be used, with Nuno opting for defensive security elsewhere on the pitch.

In Nuno’s transition-heavy system, players like Niclas Fullkrug, Summerville, Soungoutou Magassa, Mateus Fernandes, Paqueta, and Max Kilman also make sense.

It’s also important to remember that in addition to rassuring the truth that he is a “park-the-bus-and-counter coach,” it’s important to acknowledge the smart tactical adjustments he made last year.

Five midfielders from Forest used in the FA Cup quarter-finals last year: Danilo, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Ryan Yates, and Dominguez.

Due to Nuno’s men’s decision to bench Elanga and Hudson-Odoi for natural midfielders, Brighton was denied access to the pitch’s central areas.

It is crucial to platform your players based on their strengths and weaknesses, and tactics also play a significant role in how players perform. The human element is frequently overlooked in tactical analysis.

Reports that Potter and other players had a sexual relationship suggest that the club had become toxic, while Nuno and former Wolves defender Conor Coady are still frequently referred to as fond of one another.

He added, “I think West Ham will love their manager because he has an unbelievable manager.”

I think it’s great how he handles himself, how he speaks, and how he interacts with the players to improve them.

“The voice change will really help,” he says. Nuno is a man who doesn’t get too high or very low.

West Ham “are a counter-attacking team” and will participate in the transition. You were always in control of everything, and you were always in control of what you were doing.