By Louis Nixon
**Heading into a torrid winter period, the question of whether Nuno should remain with a back five or go to a back four is posed upon us and given the last fixture against Bournemouth, there’s a lot to talk about.**
Against Bournemouth last weekend, it was the first time that Nuno started with a back five and changed from his typical four defenders at the beginning of a match. Many thought that the Cherries’ pace would be too much for the Hammers to handle, and given how inconsistent some of the defenders have been, it’s a very valid point to make.
Igor, Todibo and Kilman all got the nod to start and as expected, we attempted to soak up the pressure and attack on the counter, which worked for two-thirds of the game, but it’s an extremely daunting prospect to soak up so much pressure against a tough opposition for the 90, and eventually we crumbled which saw the game ending 2-2 and fans considered it as a tactical disasterclass.
The five at the back didn’t work under Graham Potter, but for Nuno, it has seen us secure two victories yet the pivotal point is that we didn’t start the game with five defenders, and only more would be substituted on if we were in a winning position to see the game out.
It’s fair to say that whilst the back five can work in certain situations, but starting a match with it is a cause for concern and is practically us shooting ourselves in the foot. From this point onwards, games have to start with four defenders, especially given our upcoming fixtures.
If we attempted to sit back and soak up the pressure against Liverpool and Manchester United, we’d find ourselves struggling immensely, they are in poor form and are there to be got at.
If we sit back against them we might as well wave goodbye to our chances of achieving anything, which at this moment in time, we so desperately need.