Three things we expect from West Ham appointing Nuno Espirito Santo as leaky defence is top priority | OneFootball

Nuno Espirito Santo has a massive task on his hands to turn around West Ham’s fortunes after replacing Graham Potter

Graham Potter’s dismal stint in charge of West Ham was brought to an end on Saturday morning after a run of four losses from five league games at the start of the season.

Just eight months after Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui in the West Ham dugout, the east London club are looking for fresh impetus in the form of Nuno.

So, Standard Sport looked at three things Nuno will immediately look to change as West Ham boss.

Shoring up leaky defence

Nuno will undoubtedly bring defensive solidity to a West Ham side that have shipped the most goals of any team in the Premier League this term.

Under Nuno, Forest went from relegation candidates to European contenders, thanks in no small part to their defence.

A settled unit, with Matz Sels, Murillo, Ola Aina and Nikola Milenkovic starting 35 league games or more last season, was key to Forest’s success at the back.

Restoring that sense of familiarity to a West Ham defence that has chopped and changed will be one of the first things on Nuno’s to-do list.

That will mean settling on a first-choice goalkeeper, something Graham Potter failed to do, and injecting some confidence back into Max Kilman, who Nuno gave his Premier League debut to when the pair were at Wolves.

Make West Ham difficult to beat from corners

Continuing the theme of West Ham’s defensive fragility, Nuno will make sure he focuses plenty of time on setting up his team to defend corners.

West Ham have conceded a league-high seven goals from corners, and by the end of Potter’s time in charge, there was a sense of inevitability that they would concede every time the opposition got a corner.

Nottingham Forest, by comparison, ranked fifth for aerial duels won last season, and by the middle of October had yet to concede a single goal from a corner.

West Ham have struggled with defending corners all season

AFP via Getty Images

To make West Ham hard to beat from corners, Nuno first needs to make sure whoever he settles on to play in goal can command themselves from crosses.

Neither Mads Hermansen nor Alphonse Areola have shown themselves to be particularly capable in this regard, and Nuno may need to rely on blockers to keep players from putting pressure on the goalkeeper.

Defending the back post from corners, as evidenced by Pape Matar Sarr’s goal during Tottenham’s 3-1 win at the London Stadium, is another issue for West Ham.

West Ham aren’t a particularly small side, but Nuno will need to organise them better if they are to improve from corners.

Summerville as a counter-attacking threat

Forest were known for their blistering counterattacks under Nuno, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga providing pace and incision on the flanks.

Crysencio Summerville has looked bright since making his return from a long-term hamstring injury and Nuno will hope he can get the best out of the Dutchman’s speed on the break.

Nuno will know all too well the threat posed by Summerville, who came off the bench to devastating effect during West Ham’s 3-0 win over Forest before the international break.

Crysencio Summerville could be a key player for Nuno Espirito Santo

Getty Images

The 23-year-old set up Jarrod Bowen’s opening goal with a driving run and pass before winning the penalty from which Lucas Paqueta doubled West Ham’s lead in what proved to be Nuno’s final game in charge of Forest.

Summerville has been eased back to fitness by West Ham after an injury-hit debut campaign following his £ 25million move from Leeds but now looks primed to take advantage of Nuno’s arrival.