Graham Potter might only have had the luxury of working with Mateus Fernandes for a few weeks but, still, West Ham United’s Portuguese playmaker has clearly benefitted from Nuno Espirito Santo’s appointment.
He admitted as much himself in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday’s tense 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the London Stadium.
Fernandes formed a disciplined midfield trio with Freddie Potts and goalscorer Tomas Soucek, showcasing a different, more defensively-minded side of his game in the process.
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Credit: Getty Images/Justin Setterfield
We at Hammers News have posited for a while now that Fernandes is a £100 million midfielder in-waiting.
Now, having proven that he can compete physically against the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes, West Ham United’s £40 million summer signing ace surely ranks among the most complete players in his position in England’s top flight.
Speaking to DAZN, with the dust still settling on Benjamin Sesko’s 96th minute heartbreaker, Fernandes opened up on the ‘stability’ and the ‘comfort’ Nuno Espirito Santo has given him since he replaced Graham Potter in September.
Sign up for free here to tell us what you thought of West Ham’s performance!Mateus Fernandes credits Nuno Espirito Santo with his West Ham United rise
The stats show that, while Fernandes only played a handful of games under Potter, he averages more key passes, more ‘shot creating actions’, more tackles and more interceptions.
The former Southampton and Sporting Lisbon ace has been given the responsibility and the freedom, by Nuno, to pick up the ball from deep and drive through the thirds. At Burnley on Saturday, Crysencio Summerville’s opener came from his teammate’s ‘outstanding’ run and pass.
Nuno knew that Fernandes was a ‘special’ talent when he first took over. What he did not know, however, was how best to harness the Portugal Under-21 captain. It is fair to say that is a question he has found the answer to.
“I think I’ve felt freer. The manager has brought me stability. I’m playing in a position where I feel more comfortable, I have the ball, I gain confidence throughout the game,” Fernandes explains.
“Today, I even felt I didn’t have a great game, but that’s football. Some days are better, others less good, but we continue this process always with a positive mentality.
“The manager has helped me a lot with stability. Last year, partly due to the results, [Southampton] had three coaches and I ended up never staying in one position. I ended up not developing routines.
“The manager gave me that stability. I started to develop routines [while playing] box-to-box, and that’s where I feel most comfortable.”
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Fernandes disappointed to see more Premier League points slip away
Sesko’s last-gasp strike means West Ham have dropped 20 points from winning positions now, the most in the Premier League. The gap between themselves and 17th place Nottingham Forest will extend to five points, meanwhile, if Sean Dyche’s side defeat a doomed Wolves at the City Ground tonight.
“We started our last few games winning and went into halftime always with the lead. Perhaps that hurt us at the beginning of the second-halves. In this one, we started well, scored at the beginning of the second half, and then ended up conceding,” Fernandes reflects.
“We played against a team that is going through a great moment, with great players. They put a lot of men in the box, and with the slightest touch, there’s a dangerous opportunity.”
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