Three decisions Nuno Espirito Santo got wrong in first West Ham game vs Everton
West Ham’s winless run continued in Nuno Espirito Santo’s first game in charge and despite some positives the Portuguese manager made several poor decisions.
West Ham decided to part ways with Graham Potter five games into the 2025-26 Premier League season, with the East London side sitting 19th in the Premier League table.
Espirito Santo arrived to replace the 50-year-old on Friday, 26 September, taking charge of his first game against David Moyes‘ side.
West Ham avoided defeat for only the second time this season, claiming a 1-1 draw at the Hill Dickinson on Monday night (29 September).
But despite the positive of not losing, there were still plenty of decisions that Espirito Santo will have wished he had made differently.
West Ham lose the midfield battle
Soungoutou Magassa was signed by West Ham in the summer, and the Frenchman was chosen to play alongside fellow new arrival Mateus Fernandes as a double pivot in midfield.
James Ward-Prowse was left out of West Ham’s squad, and the lack of experience in the middle of the park was on full show against Everton.
Moyes opted for the vastly experienced Idrissa Gueye and the lively James Garner, and the pair had Magassa and Fernandes chasing shadows all night long.
Whilst Espirito Santo’s options are far more limited at West Ham, the decision not to include a number eight with more experience allowed the Toffees to regularly attack through the middle.
Niclas Fullkrug continues to struggle as lone number nine
Niclas Fullkrug called out his West Ham teammates last season for a perceived lack of effort, and things have not gotten much better since then.
However, one can only hope that the German striker will start holding himself to the standards he holds others.
The game against Everton marked Fullkrug‘s 25th in a West Ham shirt, during which time he has scored three goals, none of which have gone in this season.
Espirito Santo’s decision to keep the Germany international on for almost the entire game proved costly, as despite a 20-minute burst that resulted in Jarrod Bowen scoring, the Hammers offered little by way of attacking threat.
Jack Grealish allowed to run riot
Part of the issue with Espirito Santo’s midfield set-up was to do with which side Fernandes and Magassa found themselves.
The idea of having the more defensive Frenchman on the left to cover for El Hadji Malick Diouf‘s rampaging runs forward made sense in theory.
That is, if you ignore the fact that Everton’s main attacking threat this season has been Jack Grealish, their left-winger.
Fernandes offered little by way of defensive help for Kyle Walker-Peters, and Espirito Santo’s decision not to switch his central midfielders, putting the more defensively capable Magassa on the right, gave the Man City loanee ample opportunity to run the show.