West Ham host Newcastle United this weekend.placeholder image
West Ham host Newcastle United this weekend. | Getty Images
Nuno Espirito Santo continues to look for his first win of the Premier League season with the visit of Newcastle United on Sunday.
West Ham coaching staff appear to have been cracking the whip in training this week following the defeat to Leeds United as Nuno Espirito Santo looks for his first win since being appointed manager.
The Hammers have had a luxurious nine days between the 2-1 defeat at Elland Road and welcoming Newcastle United to the London Stadium on Sunday. The London outfit have won just one match this season and languish in 19th in the Premier League table.
Nuno needs to turn the tide in form but the fixtures don’t get easier for West Ham. After facing a tricky test in Eddie Howe’s side this weekend, there’s a trip to high-flying AFC Bournemouth, a meeting with Liverpool and a clash with Manchester United before December 4 - a home fixture against Burnley next weekend before all of that.
West Ham coaches give players ‘dressing down’
Hammers News cast an eye over clips from West Ham training shared by the club this week in preparation for Newcastle United and spotted Nuno and assistant Mark Robson taking particular issue with the team’s efforts on pressing.
Robson reportedly stopped the session to demand better from the squad, who had conceded a league-worst of 20 goals this season prior to the weekend. The coach told the team that only three players were pressing consistently and properly.
In training, he said: “We need everyone to work, everyone to press at the right time. We need everyone, we can’t just have two or three! It’s hard work, but that’s what we need, we need you all to do that, ok?”
Nuno previews Newcastle United clash
A lack of character on the pitch has been an accusation regularly levelled at West Ham under Nuno, as well as Graham Potter and even Julen Lopetegui last season. Speaking about training ahead of taking on Newcastle United, Nuno said: “It has been a long week, but at the same time, good week. I think we had a chance to work and work good. The players have committed themselves to the work, so we expect to see improvements.
“It's not easy [to discuss the Leeds performance], but it has to be addressed. We have to be aware of the situation that we are in and react to it.”
He continued: “We are working really hard on that aspect (dynamism and athleticism). That's why we are creating a dynamic inside here at the training ground of small groups that we can improve both physically, technically, at the same time individual aspects of the game. So we have more time to work on that.
“We must improve the players individually. Many of them, and they know, are performing under their real quality. So this is what we are doing. We are doing really, really hard and focused work on individual development.
“My priority is to improve these players, improve our squad, starting individually and then starting with small groups by lines, defence, midfielders, attackers. Everybody has to improve individually, then we can connect and look for the complicity, but individual performers must help us.”
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