Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Nuno Espirito Santo cannot allow two West Ham players to start matches moving forward, following their terrible displays against Brentford on Monday night. The Irons lacked cutting edge and inspiration as they limped to a 2-0 loss, which didn't reflect the opposition's dominance on the night. In front of a half-empty London Stadium amid ongoing supporter protests which are directed at the club's hierarchy, the club's new manager hoped to claim three precious points in his first home match in east London. But the visitors played with confidence against their out-of-form opponents, carving out numerous chances to take the lead. Igor Thiago opened the scoring shortly before half-time and only the offside flag prevented the Brazilian from doubling the scoreline before the interval. Even after Nuno made three changes for the second half, his side were still outclassed on the night, as their opponents hit the bar and spurned several other opportunities before Mathias Jensen scored in added time. West Ham Duo Labelled 'Worst Ever Signings' While several players in claret and blue had games to forget against Brentford, it was particularly noticeable how open West Ham looked at the back. The visitors created chances at will throughout the match, and a big portion of the blame lies at the door of centre-back duo Max Kilman and Jean-Claire Todibo. The former, who is now in his second season at the club following a £40m move from Wolverhampton Wanderers, didn't look especially assured in defence. He failed to pick Kevin Schade in the build-up to Thiago's goal, failing to cut out a long ball forward which allowed the Bees to pounce. As for Todibo, the Frenchman looked completely out of his depth. Featuring in his first match since West Ham's 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea back in August, where his defending was labelled as "scandalous" by Jamie Redknapp, the £36m signing constantly lost his man when Brentford came forward, and certainly didn't show why Nuno should pick him moving forward. The duo were supposed to be the Irons' long-term options at centre-back, having both played together 31 times since they both arrived in east London at the start of the 2024/25 season. But it seemed as though they were on completely different wavelengths on Monday, which led to multiple supporters criticising their performances online and the club's decision to sign each player. "Who was a worse purchase, Todibo or Kilman? Honestly I am struggling," one supporter tweeted. Another added, "£80m on Todibo and kilman will forever be the worst business possible." Other fans declared that neither should start for the club again, with one stating: "Killman and Todibo really are the chuckle brothers, I honestly can’t believe they’re professional footballers I’m waiting for Ant and Dec to pop out saying it’s a prank on Saturday Night Takeaway." Criticism was also aimed at Nuno for his team selection, with one supporter writing: "Selection was a nightmare call from Nuno. I don’t care if Mavropanos has one leg he has to start before Todibo." It's likely that both players will feature again for the Irons before the season's conclusion, but off the back of their performances on Monday, Nuno cannot afford to start Kilman nor Todibo if that's how they'll reward him. The Portuguese coach needs to find a solution to his backline dilemma— and fast.
