Doomed West Ham should put Nuno out of his misery as Leeds United far more likely to survive
Leeds United has a much higher chance of surviving this season than West Ham United, who appear doomed and might use an escape route for Nuno Espirito Santo.
The little hope that West Ham United supporters had left after Monday’s disastrous 2-0 loss to Brentford was nearly dashed as they travelled north for a chilly, dreary Friday night in Leeds.
Leeds United’s much greater determination helped them score their first goal within three minutes, making it obvious who would win this early-season Premier League six-point match.
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Jayden Bogle’s deep cross to the back post found Noah Okafor, giving Leeds United their first chance of the match.
The dynamic summer addition had the advantage over 19-year-old Olvier Scarles, who was far out of his depth until his game was cut short after 25 minutes due to injury.
Okafor was able to get a shot off due to Scarles’ carelessness, and goalie Alphonse Areola palmed it directly to Brendan Aaronson, who scored on the rebound.
West Ham could not have made it any simpler for Leeds to get off to a fantastic start, and after Gabriel Gudmundsson’s forward run gave the home team their first corner of the game, it seemed inevitable.
It was not at all surprising when Joe Roden met Sean Longstaff’s precise set-piece to head home because this Hammers team has many problems, but their incapacity to defend corners is one of the most concerning.
Although it was well-executed by Leeds, Lucas Paqueta’s “defending” was the quintessential example of a striker unwilling to do the grunt work; he made a feeble attempt to mark Rodon, who walked into space to have a clear header inside the six-yard box.
The cameras on Sky Sports were now frequently going to Nuno, the manager of West Ham, who is already one of the most likely candidates to be fired as the next Premier League manager.
If I had to imagine what he was thinking, it would be, ‘Why on earth did I say yes to managing this lot?’ Having mistakenly rushed back into management rather than waited for a more solid and promising opportunity elsewhere, Nuno had the appearance of a guy already bitterly regretting his choice, much like Ange Postecoglou did at Nottingham Forest.
Following the second-most harsh mid-season Premier League sacking, the current West Ham manager left Forest completely intact.
However, his next move was a waste of a chance, as he could have done so much better than accepting the unappreciated chore of attempting to restore this football club in ruins.
Nuno has only been with West Ham for four games, but it already feels like he is losing against this collection of players, who have already set the record for the most goals given up from corners after nine Premier League games—six more than their closest opponents this season.
In addition to having the third-worst attack with just six goals, the Hammers have given up the most goals this season (20), and after nine Premier League games, they are off to their worst start ever.
It is concerning to consider where they would be without star player Jarrod Bowen given their extreme lack of dynamism, goal threat, and backbone.
Given that this club is only going in one direction after years of poor management behind the scenes and that the famous firefighter in the dugout needs a quick escape to salvage his deteriorating reputation, the West Ham board would be kind enough to end Nuno’s suffering and blame his appointment on a botched exercise.
Nevertheless, Leeds United should be commended since this win seems significant, even though it came after Mateus Fernandes’ consolation.
The West Yorkshire team did little wrong, other from lacking a clinical edge, according to the underlying statistics for this game. However, last week’s loss to Burnley was a huge disappointment.
With their strong defence offsetting the problems caused by their goal-shy forwards, Leeds has only lost badly to Arsenal in their remaining games and has been competitive against every other team.
The relegation battle between five or six teams is long overdue, and Leeds has joined their fellow promoted teams in taking a practical approach to improve their prospects of surviving after promotion.
Leeds must turn Elland Road into a fortress if they want to escape relegation, and they are on course to do so.
They now sit ninth in the Premier League home table with two wins, two draws, and one loss—particularly outstanding given that they have played Spurs, Newcastle United, Bournemouth, and Everton.
Leeds’ victory over West Ham sets a strong precedent for the future, and they appear to have a better chance of surviving than their opponents tonight, even though they still have a long way to go and are not without weaknesses.
