Where Potter can improve West Ham after winless start to season

Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 3.

Team analysis: West Ham United

Losing twice with eight goals conceded already in the Premier League, and knocked out of the EFL Cup by Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek, it has been a miserable start to 2025/26 for West Ham.

It doesn’t get any easier for them, either.

This weekend the Hammers head to the City Ground for a testing encounter against unbeaten Nottingham Forest.

Ahead of Sunday's encounter, let's analyse the issues facing West Ham head coach Graham Potter right now.

What needs fixing most?

It will not have gone unnoticed by Nuno Espirito Santo and his Forest staff that West Ham are showing major fragility whenever crosses are put into the box.

Eight of the 11 goals West Ham have leaked so far in all competitions have stemmed from balls sent into their penalty area, both in open play and from set-pieces.

With a trio of central defenders in place within Potter’s 3-4-1-2, they should be well placed to repel those centres, but it has been the exact opposite.

We bore witness to that on the opening weekend when Sunderland’s Eliezer Mayenda and Dan Ballard both scored from headers that were poorly defended in the air…

Mayenda's and Ballard's headed goals v West Ham

These represent two of three headed goals the Hammers have let in already across their Premier League fixtures so far.

No side has let in more, and only this weekend’s opponents Forest have faced a greater number of attempts from headers.

Most headed shots faced PL 25/26

To make matters worse for West Ham, Forest are exceptionally strong in the wide areas, attempting more crosses than anyone else so far.

Most open-play crosses PL 25/26

Neco Williams and Callum Hudson-Odoi have attempted 18 deliveries between them from the left, with Ola Aina and Dan Ndoye also lively on the other flank.

What can West Ham do to stop leaking goals from crosses?

In open play, West Ham players must work significantly harder to apply pressure on the crosser.

In their defeat at Sunderland, they failed to press the player delivering the ball into the box for both goals displayed above.

And in the Hammers' 3-2 loss at Wolves in the EFL Cup, new signing El Hadji Malick Diouf didn’t do enough to block the cross for Jorgen Strand Larsen’s winner, standing four yards away from Jackson Tchatchoua (below).

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, usually such a reliable defender for West Ham, lost concentration twice at the far post when Chelsea scored five goals at the London Stadium.

For Pedro Neto’s strike (below) he recovered his position quickly when Lucas Paqueta lost the ball, but as the cross came in he stopped, losing sight of the winger's movement at the crucial moment.

Lapses in focus like this cannot continue, as the Hammers are giving up too many high-tariff chances.

According to Opta’s Expected Goals (xG) metric, the shots they have faced so far average the highest xG value.

PL teams with highest xG per shot faced 25/26

Set-piece nightmares

Potter’s side have also conceded four set-piece goals, with three of Chelsea’s efforts last time out stemming from corners.

Paqueta's marking at the near post has been loose, and new goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has not covered himself in glory either, coming out to punch on two separate occasions but colliding with his own players instead.

West Ham’s largely man-to-man set-up has looked chaotic, and they have not reacted quickly enough to second balls.

PL teams with most conceded set-piece goals 25/26

Last season’s top set-play scorers were Sunday's opponents Nott'm Forest, so this issue for West Ham must be quickly addressed.

Limited mobility in midfield

One of the main issues West Ham have is a lack of speed in the midfield.

Two from Tomas Soucek, James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodriguez and Andy Irving usually occupy the positions in central midfield, and with Paqueta ahead of them, they are struggling to handle the dynamism of their opponents.

This was evident in both league matches, but especially against Chelsea who monopolised that part of the pitch.

West Ham midfielders' speed ranked  at club 24/25

When you study last season’s top speeds, none of the Hammers’ current central midfielders featured inside the top 10 for outfield players.

In fact, the current first three in the pecking order all ranked 18th or below in Potter’s squad for speed.

New face will lift the mood

Ahead of this encounter, West Ham signed gifted midfielder Mateus Fernandes, for a reported fee in excess of £40million.

This is a major positive as the 21-year-old Portuguese star impressed in a weak Southampton team last season.

He is quick, has a good engine, and will offer plenty with and without the ball, from a box-to-box midfield role.

Creating 34 chances in 2024/25, his tally was only bettered by Jarrod Bowen (51) and Paqueta (36) at West Ham.

His arrival will improve Potter’s midfield, as will the signing of Soungoutou Magassa from AS Monaco, announced as this article was being published on Friday night.

Fernandes’ creativity is needed

Paqueta and captain Bowen always carry a threat, but West Ham have been too reliant on them to deliver moments of individual quality, so Fernandes’ involvement eases the burden on them a little.

The Hammers have created just one big chance in Premier League action so far, they have not had a shot from a fast break yet; and currently they also boast the second lowest xG in the division.

Lowest Expected Goals in the PL 25/26

For Expected Goals, Bowen (0.25xG) is the highest-ranked individual, with defender Max Kilman next in line (0.19xG).

And when you look at who is creating opportunities in open play, very little productivity is coming from anyone aside from the wing-backs.

West Ham players' chances created from open play 25/26

West Ham desperately need a lift.

As well as their poor form, the Hammers have not scored on each of their last four visits to the City Ground either, but they do at least have hope that Fernandes’ arrival will be the spark they need to get their season going.

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