Nuno Needs a Response
Let’s be honest — Monday night was a shambles. Nuno Espírito Santo’s team selection against Brentford was nothing short of chaotic, and the result reflected it. Players were shoehorned into strange positions, the shape was all over the place, and it looked like half the team didn’t know their roles. If West Ham are going to drag themselves out of the relegation zone, the Portugeezer coach needs to learn from that disaster — and fast.
The trip to Elland Road on Friday night isn’t exactly the ideal fixture to steady the ship, but let’s be honest, almost every game seems daunting at the moment. Leeds are no pushovers under Daniel Farke and, even though they’ve struggled in recent weeks, their pace, size and energy could cause havoc for a slow and disjointed Hammers side.
Nuno will have to reshuffle his defence
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West Ham’s record at Elland Road is decent enough— unbeaten there since 2005 — but current form counts for far more than history right now.
Injury Woes Continue for the Hammers
It never rains but it pours. Dinos Mavropanos has been ruled out after picking up an injury against Brentford, while Niclas Füllkrug and George Earthy are still unavailable. That leaves Nuno short of options in attack once again — and no, playing Lucas Paquetá as a makeshift striker shouldn’t be on the menu this time if lessons have been learnt. But the absence of Dinos is a problem, I know I keep banging on about it but amazingly, the Greek CB has become the Irons best defender.
West Ham will miss Mavropanos against Leeds.
If there’s a silver lining, Crysencio Summerville has looked okay and may be up for it against his former club but I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel. Nuno has a conundrum with Malick Diouf who’s creativity is desperately needed but his defending looks dodgy.
Leeds Team News & Selection Headaches
Daniel Farke is also dealing with a few injury concerns. Wilfried Gnonto and Noah Okafor are both touch-and-go, with the latter more likely to make the bench. Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu have been ill but could still feature, while Harry Gray remains out.
Leeds fans are demanding changes after their 2-0 defeat to Burnley, and Farke might take a risk or two with players returning from knocks. Expect Daniel James to start after his lively cameo last weekend, and Jack Harrison to come back into the XI.
James could cause West Ham big problems with his pace
Predicted Line-Ups
West Ham United (Gonzo’s XI, let’s be honest, after the Brentford selection, Nuno’s team is hard to guess):
Player
Leeds United (Predicted):
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Prediction
Even with all the optimism in the world, it’s hard to see where West Ham’s goals are coming from right now. Bowen looks increasingly isolated, and without a focal point up top, every attack fizzles out before it begins. Leeds aren’t exactly flying either, but their speed and physicality should be enough to punish a shaky Hammers defence.
Prediction: Leeds United 2-0 West Ham United
Nuno needs something to change — and fast — because another performance like Brentford could make the pressure unbearable