Tuesday’s briefing: Nuno Espirito Santo has a ‘problem’ to solve at West Ham

West Ham gave new boss Nuno Espirito Santo a glimpse of the issues he needs to address as they slumped to a dismal home defeat to Brentford on Monday night.

Meanwhile Scottish giants Rangers will hope to put their own desperate start to the campaign behind them after finally settling on former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl as the man to replace the sacked Russell Martin.

Graham Potter is quickly back in the game after accepting the tough challenge of steering Sweden to the 2026 World Cup finals, while Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is relishing the chance to pit his wits against Diego Simeone on Tuesday.

Nuno admits Hammers have a “problem” after Brentford defeat

Nuno Espirito Santo admitted “we have a problem” after West Ham slumped to a dispiriting 2-0 defeat at home to Brentford.

Hammers fans picked the right night to stage a boycott in protest at the club’s board as goals from Igor Thiago and Mathias Jensen secured a first away win of the season for Brentford, who should have won by a lot more.

The result means West Ham have lost their first four home games of the season for the first time in their history – and those fans who did turn up booed them off at the end.

“I think we are all concerned,” admitted Nuno. “You can see our own fans are concerned. Concern becomes anxiety, becomes silence. We have a problem.”

Danny Rohl confirmed as Rangers boss

Danny Rohl aims to make an immediate impact at Rangers after calling it a “privilege” to be appointed as the club’s new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The 36-year-old former Sheffield Wednesday boss had ruled himself out of the race to become Russell Martin’s successor last week, when Kevin Muscat appeared to be front-runner, but Rohl was confirmed as Gers boss on Monday afternoon.

The German will take charge for the first time in Thursday’s Europa League clash with Brann in Norway and he is aware that time is not on his side with his side sitting sixth in the William Hill Premiership after eight games.

Rohl told the club’s website: “It is a huge privilege to be taking on the role of head coach at such an incredible club, recognised around the world.

“I know it has been a difficult start to the season, but there is still so much to play for in four competitions, and my staff and I will give it everything to reward the supporters and the club.”

Potter targets World Cup qualification with Sweden

Graham Potter has been appointed as the new head coach of Sweden.

The Swedish football association has turned to the former West Ham and Chelsea boss to revive their flagging prospects of World Cup qualification.

Sweden are well off the pace in Group B with just one point from their opening four games, with their poor start costing Danish coach Jon Dahl Tomasson his job last week.

A statement on the Swedish FA website said the goal was “to create optimal conditions to reach the World Cup in the summer of 2026”.

Potter, who was sacked by the Hammers last month, coached at Ostersund in Sweden between 2011 and 2018 before taking on the manager’s job at Swansea.

“Sweden has fantastic players who deliver in the world’s best leagues during the week,” Potter told the Swedish FA website. “My job will be to create the conditions so that we as a team deliver at the highest level to take Sweden to the World Cup next summer.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv say they will decline tickets for Villa clash

The government has said it is “deeply saddened” that Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv have decided to decline any tickets offered to their fans for the Europa League match at Villa Park,

The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) opted last week to block visiting fans from attending the tie against Aston Villa on November 6 following a risk assessment by West Midlands Police, a decision that drew immediate criticism from politicians including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

There had been numerous calls for the decision to be reversed, but a statement on the Maccabi website on Monday evening read: “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and, from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans, and our decision should be understood in that context.

“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”

Arteta relishing Atletico test

Mikel Arteta called rival boss Diego Simeone “outstanding” and admitted he looks up to him ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.

Arteta will lock horns with Simeone for the first time in their group clash at the Emirates on Tuesday as the Arsenal manager bids to build on two wins for his side in Europe so far.

Arteta’s managerial style has drawn comparisons with Simeone, who is now in his 15th season in charge of the LaLiga outfit.

“Obviously he is someone that I look up to and have learned from him in many situations,” said Arteta of the Argentine.

“I rate him at the highest level. What he’s done since he got to Atletico has been outstanding.”

What’s on today

The Champions League is back with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal coming face to face with Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid, while Newcastle host Benfica and Manchester City travel to Villarreal.

A busy night of Championship action sees leaders Coventry travel to Portsmouth, while third-place Stoke face a daunting trip to The Den to face in-form Millwall.