Nuno Espirito Santo: West Ham must build on their strong September

Nuno Espirito Santo says returning to the Championship with West Ham has shown how much the competition has changed since his spell with Wolves eight years ago. The manager believes the league now offers greater quality and difficulty, while hard work and honesty remain essential. West Ham will host QPR on Friday, October 9, with coverage beginning at 7:30pm and kick-off scheduled for 8pm.

West Ham opened the season without a victory in their first three August matches, but a 4-2 home win over Wolves in early September changed their momentum. They followed it with three further wins and a draw, a run that earned Espirito Santo the Championship Manager of the Month award for September. The sequence continued with a 2-2 draw away to Millwall before the international break.

The manager viewed the Millwall result as evidence of a strong second-half response after a poor start, although he felt West Ham could have managed the game better. A three-week pause then gave players time to recover physically and mentally. Espirito Santo was also relieved to see those representing their countries return fit, though the full squad has trained together for only one day.

Victory against QPR would move West Ham to the top of the table before the weekend fixtures, but Espirito Santo stressed that the season is a long test. He also highlighted the team’s set-piece threat: six of their 22 goals have come from dead-ball situations, with Konstantinos Mavropanos scoring four times in his last four matches. The manager said balance between attacking and defending set pieces still needs work.

ColdMath take

West Ham enter the QPR match with clear momentum after an unbeaten September and a productive set-piece record. A win would put them top before the weekend programme, but the new squad still has significant work ahead, particularly in maintaining consistency and defensive balance.

The international break offered recovery time, while the short return-to-training period makes the opening stages against QPR especially important.