**Nuno Espírito Santo made ten changes to his West Ham United side at Burton Albion, as the Hammers limped into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 1–0 victory after extra time at the Pirelli Stadium.**
The Hammers boss named a heavily rotated side from the Irons’ 1–1 draw against Manchester United last Tuesday, with Konstantinos Mavropanos the only player to retain his place for the cup clash.
When the line-up was announced for Saturday’s game, suspicions were raised among Hammers fans – and understandably so. There was no Bowen, Souček or Fernandes in the squad, five defenders on the pitch, and three players who had never started a first-team game for West Ham prior to the weekend.
Nuno was criticised by fans online at the end of normal time for his selection, as West Ham lacked sharpness, creativity and composure against the League One side. It wasn’t until Crysencio Summerville and Taty Castellanos were introduced that the Hammers truly looked capable of winning the tie.
The game was certainly one to forget, and West Ham supporters made their feelings known about players such as Soungoutou Magassa, Kieber Lamadrid and Max Kilman on social media after full time – it is fair to say the reviews were not glowing.
However, as someone who often judges performances rather than results, I found it difficult to complain too much about Nuno’s decision to make wholesale changes. It is easy to admit in hindsight, but ultimately West Ham are into the last 16 of the FA Cup for the first time in two years – and they did not need their star players to get there.
In the end, Nuno’s approach paid off. He won the tie, gave fringe players valuable minutes, and no key players came away injured or overly fatigued. It was not pretty, but it was good management. The likes of Bowen and Fernandes have played a huge amount of football this season and needed the rest, while players such as Magassa and Kyle Walker-Peters needed minutes to stay sharp.
The only real negative was the dismissal of Freddie Potts, who did not even start the game. The 22-year-old will be a miss for the Irons over the next three matches, but those minutes for Magassa could prove crucial if he deputises for the academy graduate during his suspension.
Frustration among supporters at full time was understandable, but that performance was not indicative of West Ham’s current Premier League form. Nuno’s ten changes against Burton were risky, but in the end, they were worth it.