Ask just about any West Ham United fan to list the Hammers’ strongest side, I’d suggest there’d be almost universal agreement. This despite Nuno’s eleven game run in this league with a frequently changed starting line up suggesting the Hammers boss still can’t decide who goes where – or how best to set his team up.
It is as if West Ham’s manager is looking for his secret sauce– an hitherto undiscovered recipe of eleven herbs and spices just waiting to be combined. He did the same at the start of his Hammers reign in the Premier League and it cost the side dearly with far too many points lost as the Manager experimented.
Nuno is, after all, the ultimate tinkerer.
Panicked changes at half time are the tell tale sign of a coach who has realised the error of his ways – and in both of West Ham’s last two outings Nuno has hooked two players after 45 minutes.
Apart from the fact it does nothing for a player’s confidence to be subbed early, it destabilises the whole team as ‘plan B‘ gets enacted half way through and the whole pre-match team talk gets thrown into reverse.
Inexplicably recalled to break up West Ham’s hitherto successful double pivot of Magassa and Engels, Soucek found himself hooked at half time as Nuno tinkered – again
Against Millwall, Nuno got it wrong and later repented to throw on Kante and Pablo to steady the ship. Last Friday again two half time changes were hastily enacted as the Irons boss hooked Soucek and Walker Peters for … Austbø and Pablo in an even more bewildering, cobbled together shape with one playing as a wing back…
It’s hardly the calculating, cool pattern of a coach who has a plan. Some call it tinkering, some call it ‘knee-jerk’ reacting – but it doesn’t sit well with the manager’s reputation as a master tactician familiar with this league and how to get out of it.
If he’d just pick the best eleven, get his team to start on the front foot and stick with it instead of invoking change for change’s sake in his starting line up then there’d be a lot less for his troubled, apparently tactically over burdened players to have to absorb at half time. Leave the negativity on the team coach, Nuno, and just plan to outscore your opponents.
Going behind again against Lincoln tomorrow – and a hurried half time reshuffle – will only be yet further evidence that here is a coach who has the best squad in the league and yet gets his selection wrong. And the buck stops with the boss.
Moyes out!
Loppy out!
Potter out!
Nuno out!
Are we Spurs in disguise?
I agree with the article & also with a comment made a couple of days ago by someone else about how inverted wings don’t find it so easy against a low block as when they cut inside that area is congested. 20 years ago Chelsea started with 2 wingers chosen from Joe Cole, Damien Duff & Arjen Robben but they swapped sides 2 or 3 times in a match for an extended period. We could do the same with Bowen & Solomon or if that doesn’t work move Bowen centrally & bring Austbo on to the right wing. It has the added benefit of posing a different challenge to the opposition’s full backs.
NES has a very brave and effective 4-2-4 but sometimes opponents can counter it, especially in a 1st half. NES has also used a 3-4-3 in the 2nd half against Millwall, which flipped the game on its head. These have worked, he was successful with them.
Anyhow, yes, would be great to see a settled team, players in their best positions. If he could carry on perfecting what he has already successfully done it would be great. Concentrate on improving players, quicker passing, a better organized high press by the team, better at passing out of an opponent’s press – basically improving on what he has already achieved and done well with.
He seems to be his own worse enemy sometimes. Easy to criticize, but performances are up and down and players not clicking, playing easily off each other.
Nuno should have gone last season so should have Sullivan we got the players just need a decent manager.
If he keeps going the same way he will have nobody left on his side i think it’s probably 50/50 now
‘…If he’d just pick the best eleven, get his team to start on the front foot and stick with it instead of invoking change for change’s sake in his starting line up.’
Can we put you in charge for the evening please Martin.
I just don’t trust or rate Nuno.
I said last season he’s a fraud. Despite our position in the Championship, I still think he’s a fraud!!
Totally agree .
Nuno needs to set up and build around 4-2-4 if we are to be promoted
Couldn’t agree more. Not every game is going to be easy but there’s no way sides should be shutting the team down like Millwall & QPR did in our last two games. For my money, the missing ingredient could well be Lewis Orford. Let him do the fetching and carrying and free up Engles to influence further up the pitch.
Couldn’t agree more. Not every game is going to be easy but there’s no way sides should be shutting the team down like Millwall & QPR did in our last two games. For my money, the missing ingredient could well be Lewis Orford. Let him do the fetching and carrying and free up Engles to influence further up the pitch.