There is no getting away from the fact that it’s been a horror start to the season for West Ham United this year.
The East Londoners were knocked out of the League Cup at the first time of asking by Wolverhampton Wanderers and have lost four of their five Premier League games, scoring just five goals and conceding 13.
So, when taking this into account, plus last season’s dire form, which saw his side lose nine of 19 games, it was no surprise to see Graham Potter finally given the sack on Saturday.
Matches
25
Wins
6
Draws
5
Losses
14
Points
23
Points per Game
0.92
Goals For
30
Goals Against
41
In his place, the Hammers have hired Nuno Espírito Santo, who recently enjoyed a brilliant stint with Nottingham Forest, taking them from relegation candidates to European football in a season and a half.
The Portuguese manager is known for playing slightly more defensive football than the Englishman, but his ability to turn his teams into counter-attacking machines could bring some real excitement – and success – back to the London Stadium.
However, before Nuno has a chance to greet the home fans, he faces the daunting task of taking on Everton at their brand-new stadium, which will be no easy task given their current form.
West Ham and Nuno's record vs Everton
Since their first competitive encounter all the way back in February 1907, West Ham have played Everton a whopping 153 times. Unfortunately, the Hammers have won just 45 of those games, drawn 33, and lost the other 75.
However, their recent record against the Toffees has been far more encouraging, with just one loss in their last five games, two wins and two draws.
Those two draws came last season, with ex-boss Julen Lopetegui overseeing a drab 0-0 draw at home in November, and then Potter leading his side to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park courtesy of a 67th-minute strike from Tomáš Souček, which was matched by a 91st-minute strike from Jake O’Brien.
03/25
Away
1-1 Draw
11/24
Home
0-0 Draw
03/24
Away
3-1 Win
10/23
Home
1-0 Loss
01/23
Home
2-0 Win
Unfortunately, while the Irons’ overall record against West Ham is far from ideal, Nuno’s isn’t any better.
Across his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Forest, the São Tomé-born tactician has overseen nine matches against the Merseysiders, winning three, drawing one and losing the other five.
Now, his teams have scored 13 goals and conceded just 12 in those games, but it’s still a worrying record, especially when taking into account the fact that the Tricky Trees lost at home to David Moyes’ side in April this year.
However, today is the start of a new project for Nuno and West Ham, and there is every chance the former Forest boss can pick up all three points, and this is the line-up he could do that with.
West Ham's predicted line-up
Souček is still out due to the straight red card he picked up against Tottenham Hotspur, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is still out with a stomach issue.
However, apart from them, Nuno should have a full contingent of players to pick from to fill out his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation for tonight’s hugely important game.
Starting between the sticks has to be Alphonse Areola. The Frenchman wasn’t great against Crystal Palace last week, but Mads Hermansen has had a horror start to his Irons career, and the new boss won’t want a goalkeeping error to cost him in his first game.
The full-back pairing has to be Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf. The former has to start due to Wan-Bissaka’s stomach issue, and the latter has been one of the few players who have looked good this season, already providing three assists in five league games.
Things could change quickly under the new regime, but for the game tonight, Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos will likely keep their places in the team as they’ve started the last three games together.
Now, we get to the first significant change to the team in the midfield, with the “average” James Ward-Prowse, as dubbed by one analyst, being left on the bench for summer signings Matues Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa to come in as the deeper midfield two.
The former Southampton star barely got any game time when he was on loan with Forest last season, and considering his truly dreadful start to the campaign, it would be baffling to see him start tonight.
Moreover, the former AS Monaco gem possesses the tenacity, energy, and mentality to do the necessary dirty work. At the same time, the Portuguese ace can bring more ball quality from deep, helping to create a wonderfully balanced double pivot.
Starting in attacking midfield will undoubtedly be the mercurial Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian hasn’t been at his best so far this season, but he’s still been able to score three goals in five games.
Moreover, the manager helped Morgan Gibbs-White rack up 17 goal involvements in 38 games last year, so there is no telling what he’ll be able to do with the former Lyon star.
It’ll come as no surprise to anyone to see Jarrod Bowen out on the right this evening, as even though the rest of the team have struggled this season, the former Hull City star has scored two goals and provided an assist in his six appearances.
Furthermore, the 28-year-old game-changer was able to rack up a sensational haul of 24 goal involvements in just 36 appearances last year, so he is going nowhere.
Appearances
36
Minutes
3138′
Goals
14
Assists
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.66
Minutes per Goal Involvement
130.75
On the opposite flank, it’ll probably be another start for Crysencio Summerville. The former Leeds United gem certainly needs to work on his output, but there is no denying that he makes things happen off the left, and his rapid pace could be perfect for the counter-attacking football the new boss is known for.
Finally, while some might want to see Niclas Füllkrug return to the team, it will likely be Callum Wilson who starts up top. The former Newcastle United star certainly has his drawbacks, but unlike the German, he has a goal to his name this season and a track record of scoring when fit.
Ultimately, it may well still be incredibly early on in the season, but West Ham’s game against Everton tonight feels like a massive one, not just because it’s a chance for the team to put a stop to their downward slide, but also because it’s a chance for Nuno to properly introduce himself to the fans and show them what he’s about.