**Nuno Espírito Santo seems to have found his defensive ways with the Hammers and, in doing so, has removed Max Kilman, but has he lost all love?**
Max Kilman was a starter for the Hammers when Nuno joined, and he was also a starter whilst he was at Wolves with Nuno. Our gaffer thought that he had a player he could rely on once joining West Ham, but as time has passed, it has become evident, especially after Aston Villa, that Nuno doesn’t trust the Englishman anymore.
The Hammers set out to play a back five against Aston Villa with the likes of Mavropanos, Disasi and Todibo, but unfortunately, Jean-Clair would suffer a small calf injury, which saw him having to take to the bench. Logically, you would think that Max Kilman would’ve taken the Frenchman’s spot given that it would be a like-for-like swap, but Nuno opted for Freddie Potts, altering the entire game plan, starting with a 4-3-3.
Defensively, we didn’t appear strong, and Hammers fans, rightly so, are disappointed with the performance, but it makes you wonder as to why Nuno opted to change the entire game-plan rather than just putting in another central defender… that would suggest a summer exit if life ever heard one.
It appears that after Kilman’s appearance against Chelsea, Nuno & Paco have made a pact and understood that Max Kilman shouldn’t play anymore. Whilst he previously was a good player, his confidence has unfortunately reached a low, and it’s translated onto the pitch, which isn’t something that the Hammers can afford at this moment in time.
It would be a real surprise to suddenly see Nuno reintegrate Kilman into a West Ham shirt once again, and evidently, this partnership has reached an all-time low.
If a manager doesn’t trust all eleven players on the pitch, problems can occur. A player who lacks confidence can rub off on others and hurt the team overall, which would essentially signal the beginning of the end for West Ham, given how many games are left.
With seven Premier League games to go, it feels like Max Kilman won’t be involved in any.