Nuno Espirito Santo made it clear in his interview with Sky Sports on Friday that his team still has a substantial challenge ahead, even after the impressive 4-0 victory over Wolves that lifted West Ham out of the relegation zone. He stressed that the club must keep its focus on each individual match rather than becoming distracted by the league table. "We still have a big mission to accomplish, a hard job to do," he said, urging his players to treat every game as a separate battle.
This mindset, he explained, should remain unchanged regardless of Tottenham's recent draw with Brighton, a result that guarantees West Ham will stay clear of the bottom three as they prepare for their Monday Night Football clash with Crystal Palace. The manager's advice to "ignore the table and focus on what we have to do game by game" is a pragmatic approach that aims to keep the squad grounded. It also reflects the remarkable turnaround the club has experienced over the past few months.
When West Ham suffered a defeat to Nottingham Forest on 6 January, they were seven points adrift of safety and thirteen points behind Spurs. Since then, five wins in eleven Premier League fixtures have propelled them above the safety line, effectively reshaping the narrative of their season.
A significant factor behind this resurgence has been the overhaul of the playing staff during the winter transfer window. Several players departed, including Lucas Paquetá, James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodríguez, Andriy Yarmolenko, George Weah, Luis Guilherme and Niclas Füllkrug. In their place, the club brought in new faces such as Axel Disasi, Taty Castellanos, Pablo Felipe, Adama Traoré and Keiber Lamadrid.
Nuno explained that the club "reduced the numbers in terms of players and rebalanced our squad in terms of positions" to better suit the approach they wanted for the second half of the campaign. This strategic reshaping has led to a clear shift in playing style.
Statistically, the transformation is evident. From the start of the season until mid‑January, West Ham were ranked 17th for goals per game, 19th for big chances created and 16th for possession. After the window, the team has willingly surrendered possession – now sitting at the bottom of the league in that metric – but they have become far more potent in attack, ranking sixth for both goals per game and big chances created.
Defensively, the team has also improved, keeping four clean sheets in their last eight league matches, a stability that coincided with the return of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and the arrival of loan defender Disasi. Set‑piece defending, previously a glaring weakness, has also seen improvement. In the last eleven games the Hammers have allowed only three goals from set‑pieces, all of which came in a single encounter with Liverpool. By contrast, they had conceded twelve set‑piece goals in the preceding twenty‑one matches.
While tactical adjustments have clearly played a role, Nuno believes the most important development has been the growing cohesion among the players. "If I can point to one particular aspect, I think everybody realised that we have to come together in the same objective," he said. "Football is a collective sport. Everybody is needed – the squad, the coaching staff, the club employees, the fans.
We are getting closer together, helping each other to try and achieve what we want to achieve." This sense of unity was on full display during the FA Cup quarter‑final against Leeds United. West Ham found themselves 2-0 down deep into second‑half stoppage time, yet they fought back to force extra time and ultimately a penalty shoot‑out.
Although they fell short in the shoot‑out, the comeback demonstrated the team's refusal to surrender. Nuno highlighted that the comeback was not just talk but action: "To take it to extra‑time and then to penalties showed that we don't give up, that we cannot give up. Not only words – we showed it in front of our fans.
We cannot allow ourselves to ever give up. Never give up." The performance of captain Jarrod Bowen epitised this resilience. Bowen struck the woodwork twice in the cup tie and saw his penalty saved, yet he responded by providing two assists in the subsequent league win over Wolves. "He's been amazing.
Jarrod has been huge for us," Nuno praised. "He leads by example. The teammates trust him.
He's the club captain. It means a lot.
He takes that responsibility seriously and never stops for a minute." Looking ahead, Bowen will marshal a rejuvenated West Ham side at Selhurst Park on Monday night. The squad knows the stakes are high; every match now carries increased pressure because the season is reaching its decisive phase. "Every game is pressure, always pressure," Nuno warned. "It's increased due to the situation that we are in and we come to this decisive moment of the season, so we expect the best of our players, realising that everything is going to be decided now." The manager's confidence in his players' ability to rise to the occasion underscores the collective belief that has been built over the past months.
In summary, West Ham's recent form is the product of a deliberate squad reshuffle, a tactical pivot towards a more direct, high‑risk style, and, perhaps most importantly, a renewed sense of togetherness among players, staff and supporters. As the Hammers prepare for their next challenge at Crystal Palace, they do so with a clear mission, a rebalanced roster and a determination not to relinquish the ground they have fought hard to gain. The upcoming fixtures will test whether this blend of strategic planning and collective spirit can secure the club's Premier League status for another season.