🔗 Share this article

Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that the team's squad are ready to evolve and have accepted responsibility for the team's disappointing results over the past 18 months.

Nuno, who is the third head coach since the previous manager departed at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, is aiming to improve the mood in the locker room after replacing Graham Potter last weekend. The London club have been short on leadership, and there is a general acknowledgment among the players that they played a role to the former manager departing from his job after less than a year.

“I find a good group of individuals,” the manager stated. “They are starting to understand that we must change things. If we don’t change, results will remain unchanged. The players are ready to adapt. It's evident. Therefore, let's embrace it and transform it.”

“It goes from technical, tactical, physical, mentality, discipline, communication. Clear communication is a vital tool for us. We still don’t complete mastery of it. It has to be a honest and clear exchange that we all participate in. The squad has accounted themselves responsible and are willing to move forward.”

Nuno's Current Priorities

Nuno has had minimal opportunity to adjust. He does not have his backroom staff yet, and the former Nottingham Forest manager is not thinking about what the team, 19th before facing their next opponents on the weekend, can accomplish this season. “My role is simple,” he explained. “It’s tomorrow.”

Set-Piece Concerns for the Hammers

A significant worry for Nuno is bolstering his side’s defending at dead-ball situations. West Ham have conceded multiple goals from corners this season – the most recent concession came in Nuno’s debut, Monday’s 1-1 draw at Goodison Park – and will be under sustained pressure from dead balls against Arsenal. The worry for him is that it becomes a psychological issue.

“That's possible,” he admitted. “However, we'll attempt to avoid it. The biggest risk that can occur is that if an opponent earns a set-piece, we start right away thinking that we are in trouble. It can become a psychological block.”