Burnley Vs West Ham United [2-2] EFL Championship 2026/2027: What Did The Opener Reveal About Nicky Hayen & Nuno Espírito Santo Tactics? – Tactical Analysis

Burnley, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers were relegated from the Premier League last season, with Wolves finishing in last place.

The 2026/2027 EFL Championship started on Friday, and each of the three relegated teams started their campaign with a draw.

Burnley and West Ham faced each other in their opening fixture, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s team starting the match well and taking a 2-0 lead.

However, Zian Flemming scored twice in the last 10 minutes to bring the Clarets back into the contest and secure a 2-2 draw.

In this Burnley vs West Ham tactical analysis, we examine Nuno Espírito Santo’s tactics and the ideas of new Burnley coach Nicky Hayen, who is embarking on his first experience in England at Turf Moor.

Burnley Vs West Ham Lineups & Formations

Burnley Lineup Vs West Ham

Hayen set his team up in a base 4-2-3-1 shape with Max Weiß in goal behind a back four of Oliver Sonne, Kyle Walker, Max Alleyne and Bashir Humphreys, from right to left.

Hannibal Mejbri and Ugo Raghouber started in midfield behind Aaron Ramsey as the No. 10, with Marcus Edwards and Jacob Bruun Larsen on the wings and Zian Flemming up front.

Hayen made five changes to his team during the match.

Mejbri and Raghouber were withdrawn after 57 minutes, making way for Josh Laurent and Zeki Amdouni.

Another two changes followed in the 76th minute, with Ramsey and Humphreys coming off for Armando Broja and Lucas Pires.

Then, in the 82nd minute, Jacob Bruun Larsen came off for Mike Trésor.

West Ham Lineup Vs Burnley

Nuno set West Ham up in a 4-4-2 shape, with Mads Hermansen in goal behind a back four of Kyle Walker-Peters, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, and Oliver Scarles, from right to left.

Lewis Orford and Mohamadou Kanté played in central midfield, with Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon occupying the flanks.

The centre-forward positions were held by Pablo and Taty Castellanos.

Nuno made three substitutions during the match, the first of which came at half-time, when James Ward-Prowse replaced Pablo.

In the 87th minute, El Hadji Malick Diouf came on for Scarles, and in the 89th minute, the Hammers' final change saw Joël Veltman replace Manor Solomon.

From Four to Three: Burnley & West Ham Build-Up Structure

In low build-up, both teams started with a back four.

Burnley shifted into a 4-3-3 with an inverted midfield triangle.

Raghouber established himself as the deepest midfielder, while Mejbri shifted up into a more advanced position, alongside Ramsey.

West Ham used a different midfield structure.

Orford and Kanté sat deeper, while Pablo dropped into the No. 10 position to create the triangle.