Nuno’s Tactical Switch Could Give West Ham a Crucial Alternative
West Ham United may have enjoyed 66% possession during the first half of Saturday’s clash at The Den, but the statistics failed to reflect what was actually happening on the pitch.
Millwall were far more aggressive and physical, causing Nuno Espirito Santo’s side plenty of problems. Lyndon Dykes’ long throws played a key role in both of Millwall’s goals, while the hosts created enough chances to have gone into the interval with an even bigger advantage than 2-0.
The overall numbers at full-time also showed that Millwall had enjoyed the more dangerous attacking moments. Alex Neil’s side finished with 19 attempts compared with West Ham’s 15, while their expected-goals figure stood at roughly 2.7 compared with around 1.9 for the Hammers.
However, the second half provided a completely different picture.
Nuno reacted at the interval by taking off Kyle Walker-Peters and JoEl Piroe, bringing on Mohamadou Kante and Pablo. More importantly, he moved away from the 4-4-2 formation that had struggled to deal with Millwall’s direct style and switched West Ham into a 3-5-2.
The tactical adjustment transformed the game.
West Ham gradually took control and turned a match in which they had been second best before the break into one they could arguably have won. Millwall manager Alex Neil admitted afterwards that his team found it extremely difficult to escape West Ham’s pressure once the visitors changed their shape.
That makes Nuno’s decision particularly interesting. The switch may have provided more than simply a route back into a difficult derby. It could have given West Ham another tactical option for matches in which their preferred system is being neutralised.
Millwall exposed West Ham’s weakness in a 4-4-2
The opening half highlighted the problems West Ham can encounter when Arne Engels and Divine Mukasa are left to handle the central midfield area against an opponent determined to make the contest physical.
West Ham possessed plenty of technical quality, but Millwall found a way to bypass much of it. Dykes gave the hosts a direct outlet, while Tairyk Arconte continually looked to exploit the space behind the West Ham defence.
Once the game became dominated by aerial challenges, loose balls and second phases, Millwall were able to impose themselves.
Although both goals came from long throws, the problem went beyond defending set-pieces. Millwall successfully turned the match into exactly the type of contest West Ham’s midfield struggled to control.
The Hammers could move the ball around with plenty of possession, but their attacking players were often positioned high up the pitch. When possession was lost, there were large spaces to cover and not enough West Ham players close enough to compete for the second ball.
That allowed Millwall to dictate the physical side of the contest.
Nuno effectively responded by sacrificing an attacking option and a full-back to add greater numbers and strength in the middle of the pitch.
Walker-Peters and Piroe were withdrawn, Kante and Pablo entered the game, and West Ham immediately looked more balanced.
Within seven minutes of the restart, Jarrod Bowen forced Filip Marschall into a save, while Kante came close to scoring from the resulting situation. Pablo then tested the goalkeeper with a header before Kante eventually found the net from distance.
Six minutes later, Mavropanos completed the comeback by making it 2-2.
The pressure had become relentless, with Sky Sports describing West Ham’s second-half attacks as coming in “wave after wave.”
Neil also explained that the change to 3-5-2 made it much harder for Millwall to escape towards Bowen and Solomon. As the match progressed, the hosts became increasingly tired and began dropping deeper.
Millwall’s fatigue was clearly a factor, particularly given their injury problems, and it would be unfair to suggest the comeback was solely caused by Nuno’s tactical adjustment.
But West Ham still needed to exploit that fatigue, and their new shape gave them the platform to do so.
Why the 3-5-2 could become important
There is little reason for Nuno to completely abandon the 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 formations that have produced some of West Ham’s best attacking performances this season.
Engels and Mukasa have developed a strong partnership in midfield, while having Bowen and Solomon operating from wider areas provides West Ham with considerable attacking quality.
However, the Millwall game demonstrated what can happen when an opponent refuses to allow that technical advantage to influence the match.
West Ham are likely to encounter plenty of similar challenges throughout the Championship campaign. Teams will look to play directly, compete aggressively for second balls, protect narrow leads and turn matches into physical battles rather than allowing the Hammers to dictate through possession.
A 3-5-2 gives Nuno another solution.
The extra centre-back provides additional defensive security, while the third midfielder adds greater protection in the middle of the pitch. It could also allow Engels to influence possession more freely without leaving Mukasa with too much ground to cover.
The system may also bring the best out of Kante.
The midfielder has previously been deployed behind the striker against Bolton and on the left against Fulham, but his physical qualities appear particularly suited to a central box-to-box role.
At Millwall, his strength and energy immediately gave West Ham something they had been missing in the first half. His goal also demonstrated the attacking threat he can offer when he is allowed to make forward runs from deeper positions rather than being restricted to a No.10 role.
Pablo could also play an important part in this system. His tendency to drop deeper can create additional numbers in midfield while still allowing West Ham to maintain an attacking presence.
These positional adjustments may appear relatively minor, but together they explain why West Ham looked like a completely different team after the break.
They did not suddenly become more talented. Instead, Nuno put more players into the areas where the game was being decided.
That is an important part of effective in-game management.
Nuno may have discovered a valuable Plan B
West Ham’s first-half performance was poor, and Millwall were deservedly ahead at the interval. But the response from Nuno was encouraging and may ultimately prove more significant than the final result itself.
The 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 remain useful systems when West Ham are able to control matches and make their technical superiority count.
But Saturday showed that the Hammers now have another option when an opponent refuses to let them play on their own terms.
Nuno may not have discovered a completely new formation around which to build West Ham’s season. However, he could have found an effective tactical Plan B capable of preventing difficult Championship matches from slipping away when the original approach is not working.
“COMPLETELY CHANGED” :Nuno made one huge change at Millwall — and it completely transformed West Ham after Alex Neil exposed their biggest weakness
