Already, Nuno Espirito Santo feels as if he is deep in must-win territory occupying the West Ham United hot seat.
The Hammers’ fortunes have not turned around since ditching Graham Potter, with the East Londoners yet to pick up a win since the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss took over the reins.
As ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara put it after the dismal 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford, they’re “sleepwalking” towards relegation, with a concerning seven defeats picked up from nine Premier League clashes this season, three of which have come under the new management.
Nuno will be scratching his head as to what could spur his dire side into improving, as they face off against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon, with the 51-year-old now potentially weighing up the prospect of getting rid of Lucas Paqueta up top as one major alteration.
Paqueta's decline at West Ham under Nuno Santo
When Potter was still holding onto the West Ham post precariously, at least Paqueta was shining bright in spurts.
Indeed, a penalty kick put away coolly by the enigmatic Brazilian at the City Ground in late August handed Potter a much-needed 3-0 win, while Paqueta also raised a rare smile among the London Stadium masses the match before, as he hammered home a delightful effort amid a 5-1 drubbing to Chelsea.
Games played
4
Minutes played
360
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Yellow cards
2
Unfortunately for Nuno, though, West Ham’s usual star man has become awfully quiet under the new tenure to date, with a worrying zero goals or assists collected from four games under the ex-Nottingham Forest manager’s guidance.
He did win a lively 12 duels against Leeds United last time out, but Nuno will want far more from Paqueta in an attacking sense. He registered just one shot at Lucas Perri’s goal during the 2-1 loss in West Yorkshire.
With reports also now stating that Paqueta wants to leave West Ham behind in January for pastures new, it could be time for Nuno to look at what other limited options he has to lead the line, having even praised reserve striker Callum Marshall for his “energy”, while lamenting Niclas Fullkrug being sidelined.
The out-of-sorts number 10 isn’t the only senior Hammers figure who will be worrying about his short-term future in the starting XI, though.
West Ham's other big change
Despite spending £124m in the summer on new recruits, West Ham are now starting Andy Irving week in, week out, who was never getting a look in under previous regimes.
The Scotsman is very clearly out of his depth in the bright lights of the Premier League, with just one paltry duel won against Leeds not exactly making him a feared opponent to come up against on the night.
But, alongside him for the clash at Elland Road, Tomas Soucek also looked noticeably weak.
Obviously, Soucek is still regarded as a modern-day hero at the London Stadium for his past exploits from the centre of the park, with the Czech enforcer now up to a mighty 42 goals for the Hammers, having made a colossal 252 appearances.
However, putting sentiment to one side, it’s also clear that the 30-year-old is declining in front of everyone’s eyes at the moment, with his lacklustre performances across October not too dissimilar to that of Irving’s no-shows, which have garnered the 25-year-old a lot of stick.
Minutes played
71
65
Goals scored
0
0
Assists
0
0
Touches
43
39
Shots
1
1
Accurate passes
18/31 (58%)
26/32 (81%)
Possession lost
14x
7x
Tackles won
1
0
Total duels won
5/10
4/9
The once energetic “machine” – as he was previously labelled by ex-West Ham teammate Darren Randolph – has now left the building, with just nine of his 19 duels being successfully won against Brentford and Leeds.
On top of that, Soucek also only managed to fire a limp two shots at either goal, despite previously being seen as a saviour in the attacking areas when West Ham were in spots of bother.
For his sake, the West Ham midfield department needs a refresh and soon, with youthful faces such as Mateus Fernandes and Freddie Potts potentially being given the nod over the 30-year-old shortly, as Irving also ponders whether he will be axed, too.
It will be very intriguing to see what side takes to the field against the Magpies, with a selection surprise here and there perhaps catching Newcastle out, as Nuno still hunts down his first victory at West Ham.