West Ham's manager Believes Hammers Can Change as Squad Members Accept Responsibility for Poor Form
Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that West Ham’s players are eager to evolve and have accepted blame for the club's poor form over the last year and a half.
The Portuguese manager, who is the club’s third manager since the previous manager left at the conclusion of the previous campaign, is aiming to improve the mood in the locker room after taking over from his predecessor recently. The London club have been short on leadership, and there is a general acknowledgment among the squad that they played a role to the former manager losing his job after eight months.
“I've encountered a good team of people,” Nuno said. “They're beginning to understand that we have to change things. If we don’t change, results will be the same. They are willing to change. It's evident. So let’s accept it and let’s change it.”
“It goes from skill-based, strategic, fitness-related, mindset, discipline, dialogue. Communication is such an important asset for us. We currently lack complete mastery of it. It has to be a honest and transparent communication that we all participate in. The squad has held themselves accountable and are willing to go.”
The Manager's Immediate Priorities
Nuno has had little time to adjust. He hasn't assembled his backroom staff yet, and the ex- Forest manager is avoiding thoughts about what the team, in 19th place before visiting Arsenal on Saturday, can accomplish this season. “My role is straightforward,” he explained. “It focuses on the immediate future.”
Set-Piece Issues for West Ham
A significant concern for the coach is bolstering his side’s defending at dead-ball situations. West Ham have shipped multiple goals from corners this term – the latest concession came in Nuno’s first game, Monday’s tie at Goodison Park – and will be under sustained pressure from set plays against Arsenal. The worry for Nuno is that it becomes a mental problem.
“It can,” he admitted. “But we will try to avoid it. The biggest risk that can happen is that if an rival gets a corner, we begin right away thinking that we are in trouble. This could become a psychological block.”
