West Ham United hosts Fulham tomorrow afternoon in what is a must-win match for both the club and the manager, Nuno Espirito Santo. 

A lot has been made of Nuno’s team selection since he’s been at West Ham. There are times when he’s picked the team that everyone wants to see, and there are times when fans thought he was losing it.

The games against Brentford and Leeds at the start of his reign made fans doubt whether he was the right man for the job, but since then, he hasn’t made too many controversial decisions.

The most recent strange decision that he’s made has been the decision to start Max Kilman. Nuno’s choice to start him against City was crazy; everyone knew he didn’t have the concentration to deal with a striker like Haaland, and that was proven right.

Even though Raul Jimenez isn’t even comparable to Haaland, he cannot start this match either. Nuno simply has to start Konstantinos Mavropanos alongside Jean-Clair Todibo tomorrow.

The other player Nuno simply has no excuses but to start on Saturday is Callum Wilson. After deciding not to start him for the last few matches for whatever reason, he has no choice but to this time. We need a focal point, we need a goalscorer, and Wilson is exactly that.

Another player I think has to start, though many people may disagree, is Lucas Paqueta. The midfield three of Fernandes, Magassa, and Potts is brilliant; however, this is a game we have to win, so I think Paqueta should come in for one of the defensive players.

In my opinion, we should drop Potts to the bench and play Magassa as the holding midfielder behind the two Portuguese speakers. It’s harsh on Potts, but I think of the two, he’s the one we can cope without. Also, he gives us an option off the bench to bring on if we need to defend a lead.

My ideal team vs Fulham: Areola; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Todibo, Scarles; Magassa, Fernandes, Paqueta; Bowen, Wilson, Summerville

The only worry is that if we’re chasing a goal, we’re going to have nothing going forward on the bench, as Wilson is starting too. Nuno wants to get rid of Earthy and Guilherme; the only ‘attacking’ sub we will have is Soucek.

However, this is a risk we have to take with our poor squad. We need our best team on from the start because this is a game we have to win. I’d go so far as to say that if we lose, we’re doomed for relegation.