West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo admitted that his decision to not start a recognised striker was “not the greatest” in his side’s 2-1 defeat at Leeds.
The Hammers slumped to a seventh loss of the campaign at Elland Road, where goals from Brendan Aaronsen and Joe Rodon were enough for Daniel Farke’s side to snatch all three points.
Matheus Fernandes’ header set up an interesting conclusion, but ultimately was not enough.
It leaves Nuno now winless in his first four games in charge, meaning that he is the first West Ham manager to achieve that feat since Manuel Pellegrini back in 2018.
The Portuguese came under fire in the 2-0 defeat by Brentford for opting to play his full-backs on their non-preferred sides.
Ollie Scarles, the left-footed left-back, was fielded on the right, and Kyle Walker-Peters, the right-footed right-back, was deployed on the right.
That was the same here, only with Aaron Wan-Bissaka replacing Walker-Peters at left-back in Nuno’s 4-4-2.
He also decided not to start a recognised centre-forward, with summer signing Callum Wilson on the bench, and Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen up top for the visitors.
That swiftly changed, however, when Scarles came off in the 25th minute injured, and Wilson was brought on in his place.
Nuno admitted that while Scarles’ injury was a factor in the decision, the majority of the reasoning for the early alteration was tactical.
"It was not working out and we needed to make a change,” the head coach told Sky Sports.
“We were not dealing with our defensive situations and felt like we needed a striker to hold the ball, so maybe that's not the greatest from me.
“These kinds of mistakes are unacceptable in the Premier League.”
Nuno also said that his side “didn’t deal with many things” during their Yorkshire debacle.
"It's a simple explanation,” he continued.
“We didn't deal with the problems. We didn't deal with many things. We have to work hard and be much better. I feel the players want to, but they switch off in many moments.”
The former Nottingham Forest and Tottenham manager attempted to send a message of optimism to West Ham’s supporters, ensuring that he and his players took responsibility for their poor performances.
"Tomorrow we work,” he said.
“Now is the moment for sadness. Let's keep on going. We need the fans since we arrive, it's up to us. We need to give them something to deserve that support."
