West Ham United Vs Wrexham [6-0] EFL Championship 2026/2027: The Cost Of Passive Defending Against Smart Movement - Tactical Analysis

After a difficult start to life back in England’s second tier, having failed to win any of their first three EFL Championship games this season, West Ham United have firmly established themselves as the promotion favourites they were expected to be prior to the 2026/2027 campaign, extending their win-streak to four games with a 6-0 thumping of Wrexham on Friday evening. 

This was, perhaps, the Irons’ most impressive performance of the season to date, carried by exemplary off-the-ball movement and attacking interplay that Wrexham couldn’t deal with due to the defensive approach that they adopted for the contest.

This West Ham vs Wrexham tactical analysis examines how Nuno Espírito Santo’s Hammers created and exploited space both in front of and behind the Welsh side’s defensive structure. 

Our analysis details how the East London side’s movement and ball progression repeatedly exposed the Red Dragons’ defensive passivity, leading to a comprehensive victory. 

West Ham United Vs Wrexham Lineups & Formations

West Ham United Lineup Vs Wrexham

Nuno Espírito Santo set his side up in a 4-4-2 shape with Mads Hermansen in goal behind a back four of Joël Veltman, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Morato and Max Kilman, from right to left. 

Divine Mukasa and Arne Engels lined up in central midfield, with Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon on the right and left wing, respectively, while Joël Piroe and Valentín Castellanos played in the centre-forward positions. 

The hosts made five changes during the match, the first of which saw Kyle Walker-Peters replace an injured Veltman at the half-hour mark. 

West Ham’s second pair of substitutions came in the 67th minute, when Ollie Scarles and Mohamadou Kanté replaced Morato and Piroe. 

Lastly, Nuno Espírito Santo’s final double change saw Joshua Ajala and Lewis Orford come on for Bowen and Engels. 

Wrexham Lineup Vs West Ham United

Phil Parkinson lined the visitors up in a 3-4-2-1 shape with Anthony Patterson in goal behind a back three of Zak Vyner, Joe Worrall and Callum Doyle. 

Danny Imray and Jacques Ekomié played as the Wrexham wing-backs, with Ben Whiteman and George Dobson in central midfield. 

Callum O'Hare and Lewis O'Brien played off centre-forward Sam Smith in attack. 

Parkinson made all four substitutions in the 67th minute, with Imray, Smith, Dobson and Worrall making way for Issa Kaboré, Kieffer Moore, Matty James and Dominic Hyam. 

West Ham Exploit Space Through Carries

West Ham realised early on in the match that they could carry the ball quite a distance upfield without Wrexham defenders stepping out and challenging them directly. 

Instead, the Red Dragons backed off and defended more passively. 

Wrexham seemed reluctant to step out and contest West Ham’s progressive runs, instead prioritising holding their shape and not getting dragged out of position. 

The focus was on not getting beaten rather than proactively stopping the attack, and against a team with as much quality for EFL Championship level as West Ham have at their disposal, that’s a dangerous strategy, especially if defenders ultimately struggle to position themselves well enough to block the ensuing shots or keep track of West Ham’s attackers as they combine to slice through the defence. 

In this match, the West Ham ball carriers were able to make use of the space afforded to them to hurt Wrexham time and time again. 

We see an example of this in the clip below, where right-back Kyle Walker-Peters carries from the edge of his own third all the way to the edge of the opposition’s third before a challenge is made, with the Wrexham defence continuously backing off, effectively allowing him to continue carrying.