West Ham United manager Nuno Espírito Santo says his team must continue improving despite their recent progress in the Championship as they prepare to face Queens Park Rangers at the London Stadium on Friday night.
The Hammers have recovered from a difficult opening to the season, recording three consecutive wins and a draw before the international break. Their revival began with a 4-2 victory over Wolves in early September, a result that helped build confidence within the squad.
West Ham’s latest outing saw them fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Millwall. Nuno praised his players’ response after the break but admitted that the team could have managed the match better and secured a different result.
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The Portuguese coach was named September’s Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month following the team’s improved performances. Reflecting on his return to the second tier, eight years after managing Wolves in the competition, Nuno said the league had become more demanding, with greater quality among the teams. He stressed that hard work and honesty remained essential to success.
Despite the positive results, Nuno cautioned that West Ham still had plenty of work to do. He explained that the squad had undergone significant changes, with several players joining the club, and said his priority was to build consistency in their performances rather than focus only on individual results.
Set pieces have emerged as one of West Ham’s strengths this season. The team had scored six of their 22 goals from such situations by the time of the interview, with defender Konstantinos Mavropanos contributing four goals in four matches. Nuno welcomed the threat but said the team needed to maintain a better balance between attacking and defending set pieces.
The international break gave players who remained at the club an opportunity to recover physically and mentally. However, Nuno admitted that he was always concerned about players returning from national duty without injuries. He added that the squad had only trained together once since regrouping, although the session had been encouraging.
Friday’s meeting with QPR offers West Ham an opportunity to strengthen their position near the top of the table. A victory would take them to first place ahead of the weekend’s other Championship fixtures, although Nuno emphasised that the season was a marathon rather than a sprint.
The manager also highlighted the importance of support from West Ham’s fans, particularly during home matches under the stadium lights. With the team seeking to sustain its recent improvement, the QPR fixture presents another test of whether the Hammers can turn their encouraging run into a consistent promotion challenge.