West Ham face Leeds United at Elland Road on Friday night
James Smailes
16:23, 22 Oct 2025
Nuno Espirito Santo, manger of West Ham United
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Nuno Espirito Santo, manger of West Ham United(Image: Getty Images)
West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo says his side have some problems to fix and it is down to the players to start looking at themselves
The Hammers boss has admitted the side played with anxiety when losing to Brentford on Monday evening, a result that left them rooted in the bottom three of the Premier League table.
The London side head to Elland Road on Friday night knowing only a win still won't be enough to elevate them out the bottom three, barring a ridiculous scoreline, which underlines the situation they have found themselves in this early in the season.
Brought in to fix the issues under Graham Potter, Nuno is yet to taste victory and has just a solitary draw to his name so far.
“We still have problems, and we didn't play well enough on Monday,” Espirito Santo said. “We have to improve, and that has to come from the players, in terms of their own games, and then as a team we have to get better too.
“I was frustrated on Monday, because I thought we started well. Then we weren't able to sustain that, so I was disappointed. There are many factors and reasons for that. Brentford adjusted well, and gave us problems. And then we rushed and showed anxiety.
We have to realise what our main objectives are. First, tactical things. Also, togetherness, unity and the bond. Being strong as individuals. We must translate the frustration from Monday into being better on Friday.
“I felt the players were rushing their decisions. I see them every day, and know how good they are. We need the players to play their game. It's a long-term problem, and we need to solve it. We move on to Leeds now, and we'll try to improve.”
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