Six West Ham tactical tweaks from Nuno to give Hammers chance of survival

It’s often said that drowning is a peaceful death, once you stop struggling and accept your fate. But Nuno Espirito Santo has only gone and given West Ham fans hope, the b*stard.

The Hammers were all but relegated after losing to Nottingham Forest in January, seven points adrift of safety with 14 points from 21 games.

But an extended good run of form , including Saturday’s improbable point against Manchester City, has made the final relegation spot hard to call.

This season continues to give 2002/03 vibes, when 22 points from the final 11 games weren’t enough to survive.

Back then, Bolton, Leeds and Birmingham picked up enough results to keep West Ham at arm’s length. A similar scenario could be unfolding this year with Tottenham, Leeds and Forest.

But the recent revival has changed the mood in East London. Here are six changes Nuno has made to drag the Hammers back onto the cusp of safety.

One F365 email beautifully described Axel Disasi as ‘being the no-nonsense antidote to the all-nonsense Max Kilman’. Give Sam a Pulitzer.

The latter cost £40million, but was out-thought and outfought by opposition strikers. He seemed to shrink going up for headers, a Matthew Upson for the TikTok generation.

Kilman also had the unfortunate habit of passing the ball straight out of play, under zero pressure except the demons in his own head.

Taking him out of the team was merciful at an individual and collective level. Disasi’s form is another reason to dislike Chelsea – having a player of this quality in their bomb squad is surely a form of hate crime.

Once linked with Manchester United and Juventus, Jean-Clair Todibo’s pre-Nuno form at West Ham would’ve seen him benched at Dagenham & Redbridge.

It’s taken Nuno’s (PiriPiri) smelling salts and stricter tactical instructions to unlock the Frenchman’s talent.

Meanwhile, Konstantinos Mavropanos has gone from scapegoat to cult hero in recent months. Previously a liability, the Greek defender is literally taking shots to the face for the West Ham cause.

His match-winning penalty in the FA Cup against Brentford was Maguire-esque, as was his header in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Graham Potter’s man-management during his eight months at West Ham was textbook How to Lose Friends and Aileneate People.

But arguably his worst mistake was chucking Hermansen straight into the starting XI for the season opener at Sunderland, having signed from Leicester just days before.

West Ham lost 3-0, with Hermansen at fault for two of the goals. He was then as robust as a paper bag in a tornado during heavy defeats to Chelsea and Tottenham, visibly losing confidence by the second.

Potter’s rash decision had set Hermansen back months, with Nuno preferring Alphonse Areola until four months without a clean sheet forced his hand.

Hermansen returned for the win at Burnley and has produced several key saves in recent matches. His proactive approach with the ball is an upgrade on Areola too.

Paqueta is a gifted footballer, but his numbers at West Ham never matched that after 2023. The Brazilian went over two years without an assist, which is a damning indictment for any playmaker.

He was also a liability, talking himself into a red card against Liverpool in November and carelessly giving the ball away multiple times per match.

I witnessed an impassioned argument in the away end at Leeds between one fan who insisted Paqueta was a saviour in waiting and everyone else who thought he was a petulant brat.

Getting £36.5million from Flamengo in January was a blessing and West Ham look far more of a team without the wayward Paqueta.

Nuno may have got there eventually, but some of his early line-ups were enough to suggest his pre-match Lucozade had been laced with psychedelics.

The October defeats to Brentford and Leeds were the worst of the lot, pairing Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving in midfield and wondering why it unfolded like a table football match with a one-sided tilt.

Making Matheus Fernandes central to West Ham’s play has instantly elevated the team; the all-action Portuguese youngster is surely destined for a Champions League team.

But Soucek has proved his worth too, putting his body on the line and popping up with crucial goals at the other end.

Irving was sold in January, along with Guido Rodriguez and the loan of James Ward-Prowse to Burnley. West Ham’s transfer policy needs to be studied for science.

Instead of the lumbering Niclas Fullkrug – a predictably crap signing who is now failing to impress at AC Milan – West Ham made two January buys to battery-power the forward line.

One X user called Pablo the new Antonio, but tall instead of wide. He certainly looks a nightmare to play against, the footballing wasp at the picnic, although not the best footballer to come out of Portugal.

Castellanos scored the winner against QPR and their 9,000 fans in the Cup, before netting at Turf Moor and Anfield in the league.

He’s more of a focal point than Fullkrug ever was. Crucially, the energy of both have brought the best of Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, West Ham’s two real match-winners.