Nuno Espirito Santo: The team needs to continue improving in all aspects, especially in the early stages of the game.

West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo believes his team is capable of performing at their best in their away game against Lincoln City and aiming for a satisfactory result. Following a 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers last week, West Ham will face another challenge on Wednesday night in the Premier League title race at Proampa Park Stadium.  

This draw extended West Ham United's unbeaten league run to seven games. After nine rounds of matches, the team sits third in the standings out of 24 teams. Despite their current high ranking, Nuno Espirito Santo hopes his players can further improve their overall performance in the upcoming match against Lincoln City.  

Lincoln City have shown strong upward momentum in recent years, not only winning the League One title last season and returning to the Championship after 65 years, but also rising from the National League to League Two in less than a decade. The two teams last met in the league in the 1957/58 season, and West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo expects a considerable challenge in this match.  

In his pre-match press conference, Nuno Espirito Santo emphasized that West Ham United must take the threat from Lincoln City seriously. Their opponents have won three and drawn two of their first nine league matches and currently sit 16th in the standings. He also reviewed the previous encounter with Queens Park Rangers, discussing the importance of captain Jarrod Bowen to the team and pointing out that the entire squad needs to focus on overall improvement and prepare for long-term goals.  

Nuno Espirito Santo said: "Tomorrow's game is a great opportunity for the team to get back on track. We need to play well, strive for the desired result, and continue to move steadily toward our goal."  

“We must make significant progress in several areas, especially ensuring that the team can perform better in the early stages of the game. We haven’t been able to get into the game well against Queens Park Rangers and Millwall, so we must find a solution as soon as possible.”  

"Of course, we hope to get into the game as soon as possible in every match, but at the same time, we must also admit that our opponents have played very well. Take last week's game as an example. Although we had most of the possession time, they successfully compressed our attacking space. As for the game against Millwall, they used an aggressive high press, and we failed to effectively break through the first wave of pressure. The team's passing was not accurate enough, and there were too many mistakes, which gave the opponent too many opportunities to launch attacks and defenses."  

“We have always hoped that the team can show good form in the early stages of the game and take control of the tempo. Next, we will do our best to solve the problems that have been exposed before the game against Lincoln City.”  

"It is crucial to continue the team's current good momentum. Although there is still a long way to go in the season, every point we can earn in every game from the first round to the last is equally important, so we must try our best to get more points. The standings are certainly worth paying attention to, but at this stage they are not enough to reflect the final ranking trend. Right now, what we need to do most is to keep improving our performance on the field. As long as the team can continue to improve, the good momentum will naturally continue."  

Speaking about Jarrod Bowen, Nuno Espirito Santo said: "He not only demonstrates leadership on the field, but also in every aspect of the club's daily operations, every minute of every day, he embodies the qualities of a leader. As the team captain, he bears a great responsibility, and he consistently fulfills his duties excellently. This is reflected not only in his performance on the field, but also in how he leads his teammates and unites the entire team."  

"The reason our missed penalties have received so much attention is probably because these situations all occurred near the end of the game. Undoubtedly, those were excellent scoring opportunities, but we will carefully review them and make a decision based on our analysis. We have full confidence in Jarrod Bowen and Tati Castellanos. In addition, the team has other players capable of taking penalties, and we will consider all factors before making a decision."  

"We are well aware of the challenges we will face in tomorrow's match, and we have played in heated and high-pressure stadiums before. Our fans will also be there to support the team, so we must repay them with the performance we deserve. We need to eliminate external distractions, focus all our energy on the game, and concentrate on completing our tasks on the field."  

Image source: Internet/West Ham United official website