Nuno must drop West Ham’s 3/10 flop which is ‘the worst’

We are now facing a crisis. West Ham United are not doomed, but just over two months into the season there is a real sense of foreboding as the relegation-threatened Hammers struggle to get out of the drop zone.

Leeds United were well worth their victory in beating Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on Friday night at Elland Road, with fragile West Ham lacking the principled, well-practiced defensive solidity by which Nuno’s teams are defined.

It is still early, but it is worrying that the Portuguese tactician has failed to structure his team effectively in their opening Premier League matches at the London Stadium, drawing Everton on debut but losing three on the bounce.

Journalist Jacob Steinberg commented on the issues, criticizing the manager for fielding “inexplicable line-ups” and even claiming he had “botched both games this week”, after collapsing to a home defeat to Brentford on Monday.

But the players also had to attack the newly promoted whites, which they did not do.

West Ham’s biggest villains at Leeds

West Ham didn’t come. Although Mateus Fernandes scored his first goal for the club by late heading Jarrod Bowen’s whipped cross into the net, it was not enough and the Londoners bowed out without any spoils, knowing they have just four points from nine matches so far.

Bowen was as lively as ever, almost sealing a landmark moment when his bicycle kick was saved in the first half with the Hammers trailing 1-0.

But that was the extent of the positives. Tomas Soucek was particularly poor. An industrious player and one of the finest stalwarts of David Moyes’ illustrious era, the 30-year-old’s limitations were exposed, and aside from that luck being begging, he was too often too banged up, leaving Andy Irving exposed.

Crysencio Summerville also flattered to deceive his former team, but in fairness he was the victim of tactical confusion, starting on the right and then moving to the left following Ollie Scarles’ injury in the first half. There was a lot of huffing and puffing with no end product.

The 23-year-old has looked bright this season after an injury-plagued 2024/25 campaign, but he remains inconsistent and needs to be more outgoing in front of goal.

Electric and inventive, he adds something different, and while the Dutch-born talent shouldn’t be left out, there’s no doubt he needs to offer more.

However, there is another starter in the starting team who has proven he is not fit for the task at hand, and Nuno should surely think about dropping him soon.

The West Ham star who must be fired

After the full-time whistle at Leeds, it was announced that West Ham had suffered their worst start to a top-flight campaign in 52 years. Nuno is yet to win a match since replacing Graham Potter.

So what should we do? Well, on the one hand, United’s messy defense needs to be sorted out – and quickly. And to achieve this, it would perhaps be useful to remove Jean-Clair Todibo from the starting lineup, the Frenchman having again performed poorly on Friday.

Todibo, 25, spent last season on loan in east London before completing a permanent £35m move earlier in 2025. He had been coveted by Juventus and was regarded in France as one of the most athletic and exciting defenders in the business.

But the Premier League is a different beast, and after lacking clarity and conviction in his performances last year, Todibo has now fallen by the wayside, with West Ham Fav TV contributor Nick Marsh declaring after the match that he and Max Kilman are “comfortably the two worst centre-backs in this league”.

One website even saw fit to give Todibo a low match rating of 3/10, and this was echoed on social media as supporters grew tired of the limp and unconvincing defensive displays.

Todibo’s aerial quality needs to be questioned, and he leaves so much to be desired when it comes to whipped deliveries. Therein lies the crux of West Ham’s problems, and Todibo is very much part of the problem.

During the season, he did not win enough duels – although he proved strong in the few ground battles he did win – while failing to muster the creativity and initiative on the ball that garnered so much praise when he was with OGC Nice in France.

Standing at 6ft 3in, having average success in just 38% of his aerial duels is inexcusable. Todibo must be abandoned. But who enters?

Former Brighton & Hove Albion defender Igor Julio continues to languish on the sidelines, although some suggest the 27-year-old has impressed in training and could soon make his debut, having made just one substitute appearance so far this season.

Meanwhile, Soungoutou Magassa has already played in central defense and has already received some confidence from Nuno, starting twice in the Premier League this year.

Either way, change is needed in East London. West Ham have a lot of quality in their team and cannot afford to drop from the top tier. If abandoning Todibo is a way to achieve that goal, so be it.