adminNuno Espirito Santo to be livid at disgraceful West Ham player’s unseen antics as sack lingers
Nuno Espírito Santo appears to be edging ever closer to the sack at West Ham following a humiliating defeat to Wolves.
After overnight snowfall in the Midlands, many Hammers supporters may have wished Saturday’s trip to Molineux had been called off, such was the scale of the performance. West Ham were comfortably beaten 3-0, extending their winless run to 16 matches in all competitions.
It was a miserable afternoon for the visitors, with poor displays across the pitch. Even young midfielder Freddie Potts came in for criticism after struggling to make an impact in the middle of the park.
If that was not damaging enough for Nuno, the showing from one of the standout players of his short reign only compounded his frustration. Mateus Fernandes was heavily criticised for his lack of effort, particularly when tracking back, as Wolves ran riot.
The defeat has only intensified the pressure on Nuno, whose spell in charge since arriving at the London Stadium in September has been nothing short of disastrous. It would come as little surprise if West Ham’s hierarchy decide to act in the coming days or weeks, given the alarming downturn in form.
Nothing summed up the situation better than losing 3-0 to a side widely regarded as the weakest in Premier League history, with even players known for their work rate appearing disinterested. Fernandes, in particular, was singled out after repeatedly failing to recover possession.
Commentating on the Premier League world feed, Andy Walker highlighted one such moment and did not hold back in his assessment of the Portugal Under-21 international.
“I’ve just seen Fernandes give the ball away for West Ham,” Walker said. “His attitude was awful. As soon as he lost it, he stopped running. He was walking for a few seconds. Get back and help your team out.”
With his job hanging by a thread, Nuno desperately needs his senior and most reliable players to step up and rescue West Ham from the dire situation they find themselves in just three months into his tenure. Fernandes is regarded as one of the brighter talents in the squad, yet even he failed to show the work ethic required on Saturday.
That is certain to infuriate the head coach, who is already under intense scrutiny. However, responsibility must ultimately fall on the players for the limp performances being produced week after week.
West Ham are in a sorry state and will need a dramatic shift in mentality throughout the club if they are to avoid slipping towards relegation.
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