West Ham United

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

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Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

West Ham fan Holly Turbutt hopes to see Nuno Espirito Santo's "win-at-all-costs" mentality in the players when they return from the international break.

Find more from Holly Turbutt at West Ham Network, external

West Ham are tentatively interested in a deal for striker Emmanuel Dennis following his release by Nottingham Forest in August, with Watford also exploring interest in the 27-year-old Nigerian. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Michail Antonio has started training with Brentford.

The 35-year-old left West Ham in August following the expiry of his contract - eight months after he was seriously injured in a car crash.

He made 323 appearances in a 10-year period at the club, scoring 83 goals, and started the 2023 Conference League final when West Ham ended their 43-year wait for a major trophy.

Antonio training with Brentford does not necessarily the Bees are planning to offer him a contract, but he lives locally and is using the opportunity to stay match fit.

West Ham's record Premier League goalscorer holds the belief that he can return to playing and scoring regularly after the injuries sustained in December 2024.

West Ham United, Real Sociedad and Valencia are all in a race to sign 19-year-old Real Madrid and Brazil striker Endrick on loan in January. (Estadio Deportivo - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Nick Godwin
BBC Radio London reporter

Nuno Espirito Santo's exclusion of midfielder James Ward-Prowse so far as West Ham manager has been the subject of several questions sent in via our 'Ask about West Ham' form this week.

This is not the first time Ward-Prowse appears to have fallen out of favour in a squad managed by Nuno.

His loan spell at Nottingham Forest was cut short and he returned to east London after playing just 10 times for the Reds under the Portuguese at the start of last season.

He was regularly involved in the Hammers team at the start of this campaign when Graham Potter was in charge, but has been left out of the squad entirely for Nuno's first two games against Everton and Arsenal.

West Ham have a number of midfielders in their squad who are of a similar age -Ward-Prowse, Thomas Soucek and Guido Rodriguez are all 30 or over.

So far, Nuno has preferred to use younger, quicker players in that area of the pitch, such as Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa.

It may be that Ward-Prowse simply does not fit the way the new West Ham manager wants to play in midfield, and that is why he finds himself out in the cold once again.

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Chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Paul asked: What do you make of the situation at West Ham United? The poor running of the club seems to finally be being noticed.

Phil answered: West Ham are simply reaping what they have sown, with poor signings and poor managerial appointments since David Moyes left.

Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter failed miserably and both ended up looking out of their depth.

Now it is Nuno Espirito Santo's turn, and no-one can question how well he did at Nottingham Forest.

There is so much unrest at West Ham, with protests against the ownership in the shape of David Sullivan and Karren Brady and, of course, a stadium which is drained of atmosphere after the wonderful environment that was Upton Park.

An awful lot rests on Nuno for those in charge at West Ham United.

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West Ham are interested in Manchester United's 24-year-old Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee, with new manager Nuno Espirito Santo keen to bolster his attacking options. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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James Jones
Fan writer

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We're two games into the Nuno Espirito Santo era and despite losing to Arsenal without having a shot on target, overall things seem relatively positive at the football club.

This international break has come at the perfect time for West Ham. We have already seen signs of improvement in our performances since Nuno's arrival but having two solid weeks to work with his players without the distraction of having to prepare for games will be vital in ensuring he gets his message across effectively.

Indeed, a number of key first team players will be away with their respective national teams, but it could be argued they're not the ones you need to do the most work with in terms of improvement. It's the non-internationals who need time with the new manager to work, learn and adapt to yet another new tactical approach.

With Brentford and Leeds United up next, West Ham have a really good opportunity to start putting some much-needed points on the board and start climbing the Premier League table. It could be said that, on the evidence of the first two games alone, there is confidence that the Hammers may go into those two games as slight favourites for victory.

Failure to win either of them might lead to further panic setting in so soon after yet another managerial change, so we're entering the most crucial stage of West Ham's modern history right now. Zero wins out of the next two, and things will be looking very, very bleak.

But a couple of wins, or at least one win and a draw, and we can perhaps start looking forward with hope once again.

Nuno will know how important this international break is to ensuring the latter becomes a reality - it's just down to him to make the most of it.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Arsenal and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Guy: Another good performance from Arsenal. A match like this we would've lost or drawn last season. We could've scored a few more but we kept a clean sheet which is important. Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice are phenomenal.

Chris: At last, Arsenal are showing what they can do and are creating a fully interchangeable squad capable of overcoming any injury issues. Let's fulfil the promise going forward.

Daniel: Professional job done against a weaker team in a transitional period. Worry about Rice and Martin Odegaard but we have strength in depth now so not as much of a worry as last season. Great to be top at international break but its a marathon not a sprint so staying grounded.

Paul: Brilliant performance by the lads. Bukayo Saka looked electric on the wing and Rice looked calm in the midfield. Unlucky that Odegaard got another injury but at least we have depth in that position. Overall, a good win to lead the Premier League.

West Ham fans

Rob: No miracles yet for the Hammers, but the team is playing a lot better under Nuno Espirito Santo's management and there are bigger games still to come with teams in and around the bottom half after the international break. A big three points is up for grabs in the next home game against Brentford.

Matthew: It was always going to be a difficult task for Nuno, so definitely can't judge him in that aspect. But we defended very resolutely, and under Graham Potter it would've been a cricket score. In Nuno we trust!

Michael: To be honest, you've got to be happy to come away from the Emirates with a 2-0 loss. It's disappointing but have to feel under Potter that would have been a lot worse. Now we've got to start picking up points in the next couple of games!

Simon: It was a loss, which is never nice, but it was expected. But the team looked like a team and the defence in particular looked a lot better than it has. I was very happy Nuno bought on the youngsters. I'm not convinced that Niclas Fullkrug is a Premier League striker.

West Ham are interested in signing Real Madrid striker Endrick on loan but will face competition from Valencia and Real Sociedad for the 19-year-old Brazil forward's signature in January. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Out-of-favour Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee, 24, will consider staying in the Premier League if he leaves Old Trafford, with West Ham and Everton touted as potential destinations. (Teamtalk), external

Finally, James Ward-Prowse, 30, is preparing for a permanent move away from West Ham in the winter transfer window, with the English midfielder falling down the pecking order following the appointment of manager Nuno Espirito Santo. (FootballInsider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Chris Wise
Final Score reporter at Emirates Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

Nuno Espirito Santo has spoken about how his first full week in charge of West Ham was "hard work".

Hammers fans probably felt that way watching their team lose at Arsenal at the weekend, too.

Unlike in recent seasons at the Emirates, they couldn't lay a glove on the Gunners.

Nuno has inherited a messy situation. He's a very astute coach, but he's not got a magic wand to suddenly rid West Ham of all their worries.

But amid the difficulties of Saturday's London derby, there were positives.

Defensively, they were well structured for much of the game. Arsenal had almost 70% of the ball and the Hammers' back-line soaked up plenty. They dealt smartly with set-pieces too, which had been a massive problem under Graham Potter.

The return of Aaron Wan Bissaka was also significant. He probably didn't get enough praise last season for his performances. It got lost in the wider picture of West Ham's struggles.

This international break arrives at a perfect moment for Nuno. He's got time to breathe now, and to implement the style he wants.

The small signs of progress are there - but you've just got to dig a bit deeper to find them.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

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And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

• Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nuno Espirito Santo may be without a win in his first two games in charge but there are positive signs of progress that West Ham can look to.

Despite having beaten Arsenal twice in their last two visits to north London, it was always going to be a big task for West Ham to take anything here, let alone the win.

The West Ham boss set his team up in an organised 4-2-3-1 formation and the former Nottingham Forest manager could be seen sending instructions out from his technical area as he tried to fine tune the strategy.

Niclas Fullkrug had an effort from a corner and Lucas Paqueta shot over as West Ham attempted to cause an upset in the first half.

Ultimately, the Hammers were outclassed but with more time on the training pitch Nuno looks like he will be able to move his team up the table.

West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo, speaking to BBC Match of the Day after their defeat to Arsenal: "We've had two tough games away from home against very good teams.

"Now is the moment to analyse but with all the changes that has been happening I feel the players are responding and trying and that pleases me the most.

"The international break will be important for all of us especially for the players to be calm, there's been many changes and many noises around us. This is our priority - that we know each other as a group because it is basically our unity and fight for each other [that we need]."

Did you know?

• West Ham's four points from their opening seven games is their joint-worst return at this stage of a Premier League campaign, also having four in 2016-17 and 2022-23.

• West Ham have faced more shots on target than any other side in the Premier League this season (34, including five against Arsenal). Meanwhile, this was the first time the Hammers failed to register a shot on target in a league match themselves since January against Crystal Palace.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

What did you make of West Ham's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Arsenal starting XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Odegaard, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Nwaneri, Norgaard, Mosquera, White, Martinelli, Merino, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly

West Ham starting XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Mavropanos, Diouf, Magassa, Paqueta, Fernandes, Summervile, Bowen, Fullkrug

Subs: Hermansen, Scarles, Walker-Peters, Julio, Wilson, Guilherme, Rodriguez, Potts, Marshall

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Leeds United v Tottenham (12:30)

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester United v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Chelsea v Liverpool (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

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You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Liverpool", for instance.

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West Ham have won on their past two visits to Emirates Stadium but I don't look at Arsenal at the moment and see a team that is going to drop points.

The Hammers grew into the game against Everton in Nuno Espirito Santo's first match in charge, but I am expecting the Gunners to be too strong for them.

Arsenal are a powerhouse at the moment and their squad depth is frightening. Defensively they are outstanding - they have conceded only three goals in six league games, the fewest in the Premier League - and this should be comfortable for them.

Sutton's prediction: 3-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here