**West Ham United have found a winning formula as of late, but the question remains whether Nuno should go with a back five as he did against Manchester City, or with a back four as he did against Fulham.**
Nuno Espírito Santo has managed to formulate a winning mentality at West Ham, and one that was very much needed to bolster our survival hopes, which not long ago were under 2% according to Opta, which has now changed to 49%.
Nevertheless, across the period of time, Nuno has risen to formulate numerous different sides that have the capability to win, but it raises a question: which one should he utilise given the circumstances against Aston Villa?
Fortunately, Pablo has recently returned from injury, and it is certain that whilst he was injured, the Hammers tremendously missed the Brazilian. Thankfully, he has now been reunited with Taty to form our South American duo up top. This attacking lineup would tend to be accompanied by Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, but Cry’s injury has prevented that, hence one of the few reasons as to why we initially played a back five.
Summerville has been tipped to potentially return against Aston Villa, but the situation seems to be touch and go – this impact will essentially determine whether Nuno goes with a back four or five.
The three central defenders of Mavropanos, Todibo and Disasi are rock solid when it comes to defending. However, despite their success, one issue is that it limits the Hammers’ attack. Despite a super performance against Manchester City, the Hammers were reduced to a limited number of chances, whilst that was partly to do with Manchester City’s defence, it was also due to Summerville’s exclusion from the squad.
It’s certainly a tough call to make given how crucial Crysencio Summerville can be for West Ham, but is it worth tempting fate and seeing him potentially out for the remainder of the Premier League campaign if his injury were to worsen? I think not.
It might temporarily be painful, but on this occasion, I think the Hammers need to be wary of the actions they take.
Taking all of that into account, I believe it will be the best choice for Nuno Espírito Santo to play with a back five against Aston Villa, bolstering our defensive hopes whilst also ensuring Summerville doesn’t get worse heading into a FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds, as well as a crucial Premier League outing against Wolverhampton Wanderers.