West Ham: Nuno Espirito Santo still has improvements to make despite shift in morale

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Evening Standard

·22 November 2025

West Ham: Nuno Espirito Santo still has improvements to make despite shift in morale

Hammers are slowly turning their fortunes around under Portuguese’s stewardship

There was an abundance of smiles on display as West Ham’s internationals returned to training this week, some of their wildest World Cup dreams realised.

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Midfielder Andy Irving was perhaps the most jubilant of those who made their way back to Rush Green.

The Hammers outcast, handed a new lease on life by Nuno Espirito Santo, was a part of the Scotland squad that qualified in dramatic fashion for their first World Cup since 1998.

By contrast, though, Nuno cut a more serene figure, knowing he had to pick up the players, such as Denmark’s Mads Hermansen, who were unable to secure their place at next summer’s tournament over the international break.

The Portuguese head coach also understands that despite back-to-back victories against Newcastle and Burnley, the Hammers remain a long way from where they need to be after a dismal start to the season.

“It doesn't mean anything [the two victories], we achieved something really important and good for us,” Nuno said at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Irons’ encounter with Bournemouth.

“What we are trying is to try and compete always the same, away, at home, always the same. We are still chasing that aspect of the game to be sustained during larger periods of the game, our levels of performance. It's a challenge for us to do that.”

Nuno is right to be pessimistic. The last time West Ham went into an international break on the back of three points, Graham Potter found himself out of a job just two games later.

The atmosphere around the club feels different this time, but the east Londoners’ boss is keen to keep his team grounded.

It would be a mistake, he says, for players, such as Irving, to chase their dreams of selection for the World Cup by putting unnecessary pressure on themselves.

“That would be a mistake if he starts thinking that he has to prove himself, he has pressure. Andy has to do what he's doing well. Working very hard, committed. He had his chance, he played good. It's up to us to decide.”

Nuno wants his team to play with the same humility and togetherness that helped them record successive home wins for the first time since October 2024.

Luckily, his captain, Jarrod Bowen, is the epitome of the mood he is trying to capture, and while he appreciates that a player of Bowen’s quality will attract interest in a World Cup year, there is no doubt in his mind that the Englishman remains unwaveringly loyal.

“He is [so modest] and that's what makes him so valuable for us, because he's committed, he's humble, he wants to help, he wants to play, he's our captain.

“You know what that means [to be captain]? The responsibility that he has on his shoulders? He has to be every day an example for us. Especially for his team-mates, and this is what they recognise in him.”

Asked about Bowen’s World Cup aspirations, Nuno remained firm.

“If I was the national team of England coach, I would have no doubts.”

West Ham travel to the Dorset coast this afternoon with Nuno looking for his first win in five attempts against Andoni Iraola.

Victory could lift them out of the relegation zone, but without the “irreplaceable” Lucas Paqueta through suspension, Nuno is aware of the challenge his team faces. There is so much he believes his team can improve.

“It's going to be very tough. What we did at home was good, but it doesn't mean anything. We are still chasing our levels of performance,” Nuno continued.

“Our standards, that I think in Newcastle were good, we dropped them [against Burnley]. We achieved a win, but we dropped them. Now we have to bounce back in terms of how we want to play.

“It's going to be tough, but we have to compete. We have so many things to improve, and what we did doesn't mean anything.”