By Conor Hogan
West Ham are now winless in five following Sunday’s 3–2 defeat to Aston Villa.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side were beaten at London Stadium and remain in the Premier League relegation zone – an understandably worrying position for Hammers fans.
Matters don’t get any easier next weekend either, with Manchester City up next. No West Ham side has ever beaten Pep Guardiola’s City in the league, and there’s little reason to expect that to change.
However, despite the lack of recent wins, there are clear signs of progress under Nuno. Performances have improved significantly, even if the points haven’t always followed.
Despite the disappointing results against Brighton and Villa, I’ve genuinely enjoyed watching West Ham again. For the first time since the Moyes era, the Hammers look like a competitive Premier League side – certainly not one deserving of a relegation scrap.
Much of the recent football has been easy on the eye, particularly from the youthful midfield trio of Freddie Potts, Soungoutou Magassa and Mateus Fernandes. Their energy and quality have been a breath of fresh air.
This run hasn’t been perfect. Defensive frailties remain, especially late in games, and some of Nuno’s substitutions have been questionable – bringing on Guido Rodríguez when chasing a goal with five minutes left raised eyebrows. Still, the overall direction is positive.
West Ham have taken nine points from their last seven games – not enough to pull clear of the bottom three, but enough to suggest that results will come. Upcoming fixtures against Fulham, Brighton, Wolves and Nottingham Forest present genuine opportunities to climb the table.
Ultimately, this is the most engaged I’ve felt with West Ham in over a year. When Brighton controversially equalised in stoppage time last week, I was furious – mainly because the Hammers deserved to win.
Sunday’s defeat was similarly frustrating, as the performance showed real heart from the opening minute against the league’s most in-form side, fresh from beating Arsenal.
It may sound strange, but the 1–1 draw with Brighton hurt more than the 5–1 thrashing by Chelsea in August – because this team now gives supporters something to believe in.
Nuno has made me care about West Ham again. I’m no longer resigned to relegation; the past six or seven games have shown this squad has more than enough to stay up – which is precisely why results like Sunday’s are so irritating.
With over half the season and a January transfer window still to come, Nuno has done an excellent job considering the state of the club when he arrived. There are still flaws to iron out, but he has shown enough to earn my full backing for the rest of the campaign.
