Viewed in the harsh reality of the Premier League table, that three points secured against a weak Burnley side might not appear the be all and end all. After all, you’d expect [West Ham t](https://www.claretandhugh.info/burnley-0-2-west-ham-nunos-high-risk-strategy-rated-as-hammers-cruise-it/)o triumph against Scott Parkers’ side who are now cut adrift and pretty certain to be heading back to the championship.
The fine lines which can separate survival from failure in this league sometimes come down to the manager’s calls: As much as Nuno was widely slated last week for the wrong decisions against Chelsea, he deserves big credit for the calls he made today with selection, tactics and substitutes.
None braver than recalling _‘the Danish Flapper’_ as one of my C and H colleagues calls **Mads Hermansen.**
For it was a **choice**, not a change through injury as we were hinting yesterday. Nuno made the call after Hermansen worked his socks off and impressed in training, according to football journalist [Ben Dinnery](https://x.com/BenDinnery/status/2020144084619264203) on twitter who reported Nuno’s reason for leaving Alphonse Areola on the bench as being purely on merit:
_‘No, no, not an injury. Mads has been working really well, and I think waiting patiently for his chance, so he has his chance!’_
A massive call. Credit to the Dane for coping with the spectre of those first four games. And credit to Nuno for sticking with his gut. Can you imagine how he’d have been ripped apart this morning if Hermansen hadn’t have stood up and justified his selection?
One quality save, lots of routine catching and a couple of shaky moments of indecision: Having a decent back line protecting his goal definitely helped and Axel Disasi’s inclusion must have been music to Hermansen’s ears as he viewed a recall with some trepidation.
Hermansen’s game ended with the Dane justifying Nuno’s faith and starting on the road to rebuilding his career. Which can’t be bad at all.