“We still have a big mission to accomplish and a lot of work remains.”
Nuno Espirito Santo wasn’t enamored when Sky Sports spoke to him on Friday.
That was his mindset after his team beat Wolves 4-0 to move out of the relegation zone, and he expected it to be his mindset even if Tottenham drew with Brighton on Saturday. The result ensures that West Ham are out of the bottom three ahead of the Monday Night Football trip to Crystal Palace.
“Let’s ignore the standings and focus on what we have to do in each match,” he urged.
That could be a wise message to the players. But West Ham fans have the right to enjoy their team’s hard-earned position. This turnaround was significant and impressive.
They were seven points from danger when they lost to Nottingham Forest on January 6.
The Spurs trailed by 13 points.
But with five wins from 11 Premier League games, West Ham have crossed that crucial dot line.
They’re like a new team. It’s certainly been overhauled.
The winter transfer window saw the release of Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodriguez, Andri Irving, George Arcee, Luis Guilherme and Niklas Fulkrug.
Axel DiSasi, Tati Castellanos, Pablo Felip, Adama Traore and Keiber Lamadrid were in attendance.
“We reduced the number of players and rebalanced the team in terms of positions,” Nuno explained.
“Basically, that’s how we wanted to go for the second half of the season. The previous ideas we had were different ideas for the second half.”
The change in style is obvious.
From August until January 16, West Ham ranked 17th in goals scored per game, 19th in big chances created and 16th in possession.
Since then, they have surrendered possession, ranking 20th in the league in this metric, but heading into this round of games they have become much more dangerous, ranking 6th in goals per game and big chances created.
Monday, April 20th 6:30pm
8pm kickoff
They have given confidence and freedom to their players up front, while at the back they have kept four clean sheets in their last eight Premier League games since Mads Hermansen returned with a goal, and loanee DiSasi has strengthened the defence.
Weaknesses in set pieces have been resolved. In their last 11 games they have conceded three times in such situations, all once against Liverpool. Previously, they had conceded 12 set-piece goals in 21 games.
But perhaps the real key is the bond West Ham players have built.
“If I could point to one particular aspect, I think everyone realized that we have to come together towards the same purpose,” Nuno said.
“That is the main point that we believe we can aim for and achieve better.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between West Ham and Wolves
“This is the main part of our job. Football is a collective sport. Everyone is needed: the team, the coaching staff, the club staff, the fans… we are coming closer together, helping each other and trying to achieve what we want to achieve.”
That solidarity was on display in the recent FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leeds on penalties. West Ham looked down and went into injury time in the second half, trailing 2-0. However, they found two goals to force overtime and came close to scoring, but ultimately fell short in the shootout.
“Going into extra time and then penalties showed that we won’t give up, we can’t give up,” Nuno said.
“We showed it, not just in words. We showed it in front of our fans. We can never give up on ourselves. Never give up.”
Captain Jarrod Bowen is leading by example. In the tied cup match, he hit the crates twice and saw his spot-kick brutally saved. What was his reaction? Two assists against the Wolves.
“He was great. Jarrod was huge for us,” Nuno said.
“He leads by example. His teammates trust him. He’s the captain of the club. That means a lot. He’s accepted this responsibility.”
“Jarod never stops for a minute.
“That’s the main message we want to get across as a team: Look, no matter what situation we’re put in, we keep giving it, we keep insisting, we keep believing. And Jarrod is proof of that.”
Bowen will take charge of a rejuvenated West Ham side at Selhurst Park on Monday night. The team is ready to take on the challenges of the situation and together they are ready to seize the opportunities that they manage to open up.
“Every game is pressure, it’s always pressure,” Nuno said. “It’s heightened because of the situation we’re in and because we’re at this defining moment of the season. So we know everything is decided now and we expect the best from our players.”
