Nuno Espírito Santo has admitted he feels under pressure at West Ham United following Saturday’s 2-1 Championship defeat to Charlton Athletic. The Hammers remain without a league victory after their opening two matches, increasing the scrutiny on Nuno following relegation from the Premier League.
West Ham rescued a 2-2 draw at Burnley on the opening weekend before losing their first home league match of the campaign against Charlton.
Nuno admits West Ham pressure
Charlton took control at the London Stadium through goals from Lloyd Jones and Tyreece Campbell before Joël Piroe pulled one back on his West Ham debut.
Taty Castellanos then struck the post from a stoppage-time penalty as the Hammers missed the chance to salvage another late point.
ReadWestHam covered the key incidents in our West Ham 1-2 Charlton match report.
Nuno accepted after the final whistle that the difficult start has placed pressure on him.
“Of course, I feel under pressure,” he said.
The Portuguese coach added that pressure comes with managing a club of West Ham’s size, pointing towards the 62,000 supporters inside the London Stadium and his disappointment at letting them down.
PA Media’s post-match report carried Nuno’s comments, while the manager also publicly apologised to supporters following the result.
ReadWestHam covered that response in our Nuno apology after the Charlton defeat.
West Ham need quick response
Nuno has not suggested his position faces any immediate threat, and there has been no credible report that West Ham’s board are considering a managerial change.
The pressure instead comes from results.
West Ham managed 77.6 per cent possession and 25 attempts against Charlton but still finished without a point.
Our analysis of West Ham’s 25-shot defeat highlighted the inefficiency in both penalty areas that Nuno must address.
Sky Sports’ match report also confirms Piroe’s goal and Castellanos’ late penalty miss in a result that left West Ham searching for their first Championship win.
Nuno now gets an immediate opportunity to change the mood when West Ham travel to Southampton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
A victory at St Mary’s would not repair their league start, but it would provide a much-needed response after a difficult opening fortnight.
