please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Arsenal take on West Ham United at the Emirates this Wednesday in this rearranged Premier League fixture. The game was set to place on Boxing Day last year but because of a London underground tube strike, the game had to be moved. This game is Arsenal’s game in hand over their rivals and it’s vital that they win it, in order to close an already sizeable gap. Arsenal have yet to win a league game in 2013 and go into this game having lost their previous two league games. The first came against Manchester City and at the Emirates, and that was followed by a narrow defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal created the first real chance in that game, but Olivier Giroud failed to convert it, and Arsenal were left to rue that. Chelsea took the lead through Juan Mata who did what he does best in front of goal. Arsenal were firmly on the back foot at this point and Ramires earned his side a penalty,which Frank Lampard converted to give his side a two goal lead. Arsenal put in a better showing in the second half, as Theo Walcott scored his ninth league goal of the season to bring the Gunners back into the game. Despite the late push, Arsenal could not salvage anything from the game and Chelsea had done the double over them this season. West Ham were also involved in a London derby last weekend, when they took Queens Park Rangers at Upton Park. West Ham fell behind to the West London side after Loic Remy scored his first goal for his new club, but the Hammers fought back and levelled the scores when Joe Cole scored his first goal for West Ham in ten years. But in the end the Hammers could not quite find that second goal and they had to settle for a point. Arsenal beat West Ham when the two sides met at Upton Park earlier in the season, and it was one of Arsenal’s better performances this season. Goals from Giroud,Walcott and Cazorla saw Arsenal home. West Ham under the management of Sam Allardyce, are not a side that will roll over against any team, so the Gunners should in for another difficult test against an Allardyce team. West Ham made a bright start in their return to top flight football, but have now started to feel the pace and have slowly but surely found themselves dropping down the table. But, they still have eight point gap over Reading who currently sit in 18th place. So the Hammers, are still not really mired in the relegation dog fight just yet, but things can change quickly in the Premier League and West Ham will have to start finding some form again if they are to remain in a comfortable position. In their last seven league games, West Ham have only managed to win one of those. One of their main problems this season has been in front of goal. The likes of Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll have not been clinical enough in front of goal and Kevin Nolan with five goals is West Ham’s top scorer in the league this season. Nolan is a midfielder and so is Mark Noble, who is West Ham’s second top scorer after Nolan. In order to solve this problem, West Ham brought in Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal on loan, but he has yet to get off the mark, and is also ineligible to play against his parent club. So, Sam Allardyce will have to turn to Carlton Cole to lead the line and Cole has had his success against Arsenal in the past with his physical style. The real strength in this West Ham team comes from the midfield, with the likes of Mark Noble and Mohamed Diame providing real steel and quality there. Diame was outstanding against Chelsea when West Ham faced them at Upton Park and he also caught the eye when the Hammers took on Arsenal earlier in the season. A powerful player box to box player and Arsenal have to be wary of his threat this Wednesday. The Gunners have in fact been linked with Diame in this January transfer window and you could see why. As well as loaning Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal, West Ham also brought in Joe Cole from Liverpool in this transfer window. Cole was famously a graduate from the West Ham academy and after leaving in 2003 he has returned to his boyhood club. Joe Cole got off to a fantastic start in his second debut for West Ham when he provided two assists against Manchester United in the FA Cup. Cole also got off the mark in front of goal, when he scored against QPR in the league last Saturday. Cole will offer that bit of magic and trickery, so Arsenal will have to keep a close watch on Joe Cole. West Ham’s record on the road this season has been poor. They have only managed to win two games all season away from home and have only scored five league goals away from Upton Park this season. Also, Big Sam has never taken one of his teams to Arsenal and won in his career so far. West Ham’s last win against Arsenal at the Emirates came all the way back in 2007, it was in fact Arsenal’s first ever defeat at the Emirates. Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain missed the game against Chelsea after falling ill on the eve of the game, but both are expected to return in time for the game against West Ham. Abou Diaby after playing three games in a row, might get rested as Wenger will have to assess his fitness ahead of the game. Mikel Arteta is still injured and Arsenal missed him in their defeat against Chelsea, also Francis Coquelin has been ruled out for the game against West Ham after tearing his hamstring. Aaron Ramsey is expected to get a rare start, and for his performances as a substitute, he has deserved a start. The game against West Ham is simply a must win for the Gunners, as they currently trail Tottenham Hotspurs by seven points and if they want to finish in one of the top four places, then Spurs are going to be one of the teams that Arsenal need to finish above. With the game hand over West Ham, hopes of overhauling the lead Spurs and Chelsea have over Arsenal have is not lost. But, ff Arsenal fail to beat West Ham at the Emirates, then that hope will start to fade. Arsene Wenger needs a big performance from his key players this Wednesday, so the likes of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott will have to deliver the goods and lead this current team. As London derby’s goes, the one between Arsenal and West Ham is not as intense or as fierce as other London derby’s, but for Arsenal this game is as important as they come. Team News: Arsene Wenger: Form Guide: please log in to view this image Three Key Match-ups: please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Overall Record vs West Ham United: Played: 119 Wins: 51 Draws: 36 Losses: 32 For: 179 Against: 137 Goal Difference: 42 Last Six Meetings: West Ham United 1 - 3 Arsenal West Ham United 0 - 3 Arsenal Arsenal 1 - 0 West Ham United Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham United West Ham United 1 - 2 Arsenal (FA Cup) West Ham United 2 - 2 Arsenal please log in to view this image Manager's Views: Arsene Wenger on Arsenal's last performance against West Ham: My Team: please log in to view this image Final Score: please log in to view this image
Already did that last week to watch the Swansea game. Missing two Wednesday's in a row might get them suspicious.
Back to the game in hand, I think Walcott is crucial. That West Ham back four lacks any serious pace, and if Walcott can turn up, then he should be able to get in behind them. If they sit deep to counter that, then it will give the likes of Wilshere and Cazorla more space to exploit.
I'd like to see Jenkinson given a run-out. Not sure what he's done to annoy Wenger so much. Also like to see Pod in the centre with Theo & Oxo on the wings, terrorising the West Ham back line with their pace, but that won't happen. Or Rosicky in the centre with Cazorla given a free role to float about and Coquelin & Ramsey playing more defensive in a sort of 4-4-2 diamond formation.
Coq is out with a hamstring injury I think but we need to approach this game with an attacking set up.
And that, is where Arsenal are going wrong. There shouldn't be a first choice. Are there first choices at Man Utd?
Arsenal have conceded less shots per game than every team bar City and Spurs, while they are joint 3rd with Everton in least goals conceded. In comparison to nearly most squads in the league, they defend pretty well.
Evra has started ahead of Buttner in every game bar one (in which Buttner played very well if I recall).
Fair play to him. I imagine Vidic & Rio will be the first choice CB pairing. However, if one had a shocker, I believe they would be dropped. The midfield & strikers are impossible to call game to game because they change so much. For Arsenal, there has been more rotation this season (for the front 3) than we've seen for AGES - which is a positive - but it's still very easy to pick most of the starting 11, and I think this gives the opposition a distinct advantage. They know the formation, they know the tactics, they know (almost all of) the personnel.
I agree that some of the other teams at the top have a larger set of trustworthy players to call on. I'm not sure I believe the formation notion though - seven teams in the top half of the Premier League play 4-2-3-1 week in, week out. Everton have only won two out of eight ties against 4-2-3-1 playing teams when they deployed their usual 4-4-1-1, and City have won 25 out of 27 possible points when they've utilised it (but only 26 out of a possible 42 when they haven't). Wenger should stick with it.
Actually I asked you if there were first choices. Apparently the answer is "yes, but nowhere near as many as at Arsenal."
