Nuno Espírito Santo faces several pressing questions as West Ham vs West Brom takes place at the London Stadium this afternoon.
The Championship promotion chase is intensifying after last weekend’s home defeat to Southampton, and there is a restlessness among the fan base toward the manager.
He needs three points against the Baggies.
The most immediate concern is the defensive reshuffle forced by Konstantinos Mavropanos’s absence.
The Greek centre-back, one of the team’s most influential players and a five-goal contributor this season, picked up a knee injury late in the Southampton game.
Questions mounting for Nuno
While the issue is not as serious as initially feared and recovery is progressing well, Nuno has confirmed he’s not in contention today.
With Joel Veltman also doubtful after missing the previous match, the manager must decide whether to hand a start to young Airidas Golambeckis alongside Max Kilman or adjust the back line further.
Maintaining defensive solidity without Mavropanos’s physical presence and set-piece threat will be crucial against a West Brom side capable of punishing any vulnerability.
A second key question surrounds the attacking balance and the fitness of captain Jarrod Bowen.
The forward twisted his ankle in training midweek but trained fully on Friday and is expected to feature.
Also, Nuno must weigh whether to persist with underperforming striker Taty Castellanos or introduce alternatives such as Joël Piroe.
There is also the temptation to start goalscoring midfielder Tomáš Souček from the outset to compensate for Mavropanos’s absence in the air, even though the Czech hero has been very effective as an impact sub.
Getting these decisions right is vital if West Ham are to avoid another slow start.
The team has conceded the majority of its goals in the first half this season and not recovered in those games.
Collectively, these decisions will shape whether the Hammers can bounce back strongly and keep pace at the top of the Championship table.
West Ham are currently three points and four places behind leaders Middlesbrough.
Late calls for West Ham vs West Brom
Nuno told the official club website:
“We have some doubts, and some players who are still in contention who we have to evaluate. We have situations with Dinos, Joël and Keiber, that we have to consider.
“It is Dinos’ knee, and we were concerned about the injury, but thankfully it’s not as serious as we expected, and he’s recovering quite well.
“We have to see how long it takes [for him to recover], but he was on the grass by himself today. It’s positive in some ways, because we were afraid it could take longer, and he’s such an important player for us.
“Jarrod twisted his ankle in training. He had treatment for a couple of days, but he joined us today, and he seems okay.
“So, like I said, overall there are a few things to consider, and we’ll have to see for the game on Saturday.”
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