By Conor Hogan

With yet another International break coming up, has this one come at a good or bad time for West Ham?

West Ham are going into the November international break on a high, having gained six points from their last two games. It almost feels like the break has come at an awkward time for the Irons.

November has been an excellent month so far for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side — wins against Newcastle and Burnley have majorly boosted morale and strengthened the Hammers’ survival chances in the Premier League this season.

However, the international break is upon us once again, and West Ham’s next fixture isn’t until November 22, when they travel to the south coast to face Bournemouth. Given the form Nuno’s side currently find themselves in, the break almost feels disruptive to the Irons’ current momentum.

First-team players such as Jarrod Bowen, Tomáš Souček, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and El Hadji Malick Diouf will all be away with their countries over the next week, meaning Nuno will have a smaller pool of senior players to work with in training.

There’s also a fear that the international break will stall the momentum the Hammers have built over their last two games — Nuno’s side have shown great resilience and attacking proficiency recently, in contrast to their next opponents, Bournemouth.

After an excellent start to the season, the Cherries have won just one of their last four games, most recently losing 4–0 to Aston Villa. The break hasn’t come at an ideal time for the Irons, but it could give Andoni Iraola’s side a chance to regroup after some disappointing results.

However, it will also give Nuno time to work with players such as Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Crysencio Summerville, all of whom have looked significantly sharper this month.

Kilman and Todibo in particular have really stepped up, and hopefully this extra time on the training ground will help them develop further and become increasingly reliable at the back for West Ham.

The break will also give additional recovery time to Niclas Füllkrug and Konstantinos Mavropanos, who have recently been sidelined through injury but are hoped to be back in the squad after the break.

Although Füllkrug has been heavily linked with a move away from London Stadium in January, the Hammers could certainly use another striking option, considering Callum Wilson is currently unable to complete a full league game.

The international break could’ve come at a better time for West Ham, but there are still important things for Nuno to work on in training. Hopefully, the Hammers can pick up where they left off when they travel to the Vitality Stadium later this month.