West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo will face one of his former teams for a third consecutive Premier League match in a huge game for the Portuguese coach and Tottenham’s Thomas Frank
Nuno Espirito Santo will return to Tottenham today for his third ex-factor clash of the month aiming only to “please our fans”. West Ham sit seven points from safety after losing to relegation rivals Wolves and Nottingham Forest in their last two Premier League matches.
The Portuguese manager enjoyed success at both clubs but lasted only 17 unhappy games in North London in 2021 before he was sacked. “It was an honour and a pleasure to manage Spurs,” said Espirito Santo. “Things didn’t go well. It’s the third game in a row that we face clubs that I managed before.
“Nothing changed. It’s a new game. It’s a tough opponent in a tough place and we are so we need a good result. Our focus is there to go and compete.”
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Now Spurs boss Thomas Frank is under pressure after an uninspiring start to his Tottenham reign for the UEFA Europa League winners. Spurs were booed by their own fans after the last four winless games.
But Espirito Santo, whose West Ham have gone 10 Premier League games without a win, said: ““Do you really believe that us as managers are focused on that? We have to please our fans. The 3,000 that are going to be there. This is what we have to do. We have to play well, to fight, to compete. So our 3,000 fans, if they are louder in the stadium, it’s a good sign.”
The Portuguese manager’s mobile went off during his pre-match press conference after his wife Sandra called. But he claimed he did not work for eight months – and then worked at Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League – because his phone was silent.
“Nobody called me!” he laughed. “Simple as that. Nobody called. The phone didn’t ring. It happens. Sometimes it comes faster. Sometimes it takes longer. What we have to do as coaches is reset and leave the phone open.”
Espirito Santo claimed: “Everything is going to be better this week” after last weekend’s FA CUp win over QPR. The last few days have been dominated by Lucas Paqueta and whether the Brazilian will play or leave.
But the Portuguese manager said: “Honestly it was. Everything changes after a win. Everything changes. The mood, the recovering, the communication, everything is much better. So that is why I am positive for Saturday. It is going to be tough. But when you prepare well and you train well, the reflection comes on the match and the boys are ready to go.”
West Ham have appointed Espirito Santo’s former Deportivo La Coruna team-mates Paco Jemez as the new first-team coach.
“We’ve known each other for many, many years,” said the Portuguese manager. He’s a vocal guy and we need all the help that we can get. As his coaching staff, we are working very hard, trying to do as much as we can. But Paco brings something that only Paco has.”
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