West Ham United boss Nuno Espírito Santo has pointed to the fighting spirit now running through his squad — something that, if we’re honest, simply wasn’t there earlier in the season.
I’m still not entirely convinced what Nuno meant when he repeatedly spoke about “rebalancing” the squad during January. But I like to think it was about adding grit, leadership and determination — qualities that had been in short supply.
Not only has the manager established a core leadership group — helped by restoring [Tomáš Souček](https://www.claretandhugh.info/tomas-soucek-bio/) to the side — he’s also got the team running, pressing and competing with a genuine will to win.
That change in mentality has been most evident in the January arrivals: Taty Castellanos, Pablo and Axel Disasi — all of whom appear to have fully bought into the fight for survival.
“The Players Are Ready for the Battle”
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And it was Nuno himself who returned to that theme of battle when [speaking to reporters](https://www.whufc.com/en/news/talking-points-or-nuno-on-boosting-momentum-stopping-bournemouth-and-tatys) ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash with AFC Bournemouth.
He said: “I see the players every day, training and preparing themselves. What I’ve realised is that they’ve got the commitment, and the desire to get out of this situation. You can see that desire every day.
We see them work, getting ready for the game, speaking to each other and helping each other. This togetherness is what we want and need. We need character, and I think we’ve shown character in tough circumstances.
The players are ready for the battle. This is what we are working on — getting them ready so they can perform. They are ready.”
And for the first time in a long while, West Ham look like a team prepared to scrap for every single point.