Nuno: West Ham Must Shift Their Mindset and Add More Signings in January

Two days after their loss to Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo is still trying to understand what went wrong in the first half. "To be honest, I still don't know," he admits. "We've analyzed the game and talked about it, but it's hard to explain. We started poorly, made mistakes, and couldn't recover. It wasn't just one mistake, but our reaction to it. We didn't pass the ball effectively, and many things went wrong at Wolves." Nuno describes the defeat as his worst in management, saying it's a feeling that haunts him until the next match. The loss highlighted the team's lack of confidence, with West Ham now on a nine-game unbeaten run. "Yes, it's related to confidence," says Nuno. "But it's also about the timing. We could have closed the gap to Nottingham Forest with a win, having stopped a run of three consecutive losses with a 2-2 draw against Brighton." Nuno believes the team was on the verge of something before the Wolves game, but the loss created doubt and affected the players' confidence. "Now, it's up to us to reset and realize that what matters is tomorrow. We have to trust each other and get confidence from within." One of Nuno's biggest challenges is rebuilding his players' confidence, especially ahead of their game against Forest. He identifies defending leads as a major issue, with West Ham dropping 12 points from winning positions this season. "When you're in front, the instinct is to protect, but maybe we should be more aggressive and protect our lead by attacking," he suggests. Nuno nods when asked if he's referring to a mentality shift, saying "we need, we need, we need" to change. He acknowledges that some of his substitutions have been questioned by fans, but believes the January transfer window will be helpful in rebalancing the squad. West Ham have already signed two forwards, Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, and are in talks to sign another target, Adama Traore. Nuno is grateful for the early transfer business, saying it was a need and that the club has done well in a tricky window. He's excited about the new recruits, describing Pablo as "talented, dynamic, and a hard worker" and Castellanos as "slightly more experienced and mobile." Nuno wants his team to put up a fight against Forest, reacting to mistakes and being braver and stronger. "It's about mentality, tactical effort, energy, and many things," he says. "We have to put it together, because we know it's going to be a tough opponent." Nuno is focused on West Ham and not sentimental about facing his former side, saying "it's all about West Ham" and that he doesn't think about anything else. His message to the fans is that they need them, but it's up to the team to start giving.