ARSENAL FC
v
WEST HAM UNITED
The Emirates Stadium, London October 30th, 2010, 7:25 PM IST(+0300 BST)
This fixture sees the clash of two London teams who won their midweek Carling Cup fixtures, albeit in contrasting fashion. While a high flying Arsenal team made short work of a second string Newcastle side at the Tyneside, the Hammers had to wait till extra time to earn a hard fought win over Stoke City. However, the Carling cup result will not mean as much to West Ham as the fact that they are languishing at the bottom of the table, which makes every match thereon crucial to ensure their survival in the Premier League. Unfortunately, they find themselves pitted against second placed Arsenal, and the 120 minutes spent on the field on Wednesday does no help to their preparation ahead of the daunting trip to The Emirates.
Under fire manager Avram Grant has been told that he has two games to save his job, but securing even a point against Arsenal at the Emirates is a very tall order for the Israeli. He will be glad with his club’s progress to the Carling Cup quarterfinals, hoping that his players will be motivated by the win to put forward their best against the Gunners. Although the men in blue and claret dominated the game against Newcastle, they failed to convert their chances and were punished for it; Frederic Piquoinne was guilty of being profligate in front of goal. However, the return of Carlton Cole will be a moral boost to the team; the powerful striker proved to be a thorn in Arsenal’s flesh last season, wreaking havoc in the Gunners defence and grabbing a vital draw for his side. The timing of his arrival this season could not have been better.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are enjoying a fine run of form since the loss to Chelsea. They have scored 14 goals in their last four fixtures, which included a 5-1 mauling of Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, an emphatic 3-0 victory over title contenders Manchester City and the 4-0 victory over the Toons in the midweek Carling Cup fixture. The West Ham clash offers the Gunners another opportunity to increase their goal difference and to narrow the gap between them and table leaders Chelsea, but they have to avoid complacency and treat the game as a knockout one, to avoid any embarrassments a la West Bromwich.
Since their 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on 7 April 2007, the Hammers have failed to beat the Gunners in the last seven games. The rivalry between the two London teams does not reach the same proportions as the North London Derby or the Arsenal-Chelsea clashes, and Arsenal have proved to hold the upper hand in most of the games in the Premier League.
Team News and Tactical Brief
Arsenal
The return of the trio of Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner has added the much needed depth to the squad to cope with the ever increasing fixtures which are characteristic of every footballing season. The Gunners have the flexibility to rotate their players in most of the positons, but the left side remains a concern with the dismal form of Carlos Vela and the unfortunate knee injury suffered by Kieran Gibbs in the Newcastle encounter. Wilshere is serving a three-match suspension and Diaby seems unlikely to play in the game, which leaves Rosicky and Denilson fighting for the third midfield slot alongside Cesc and Song. Denilson impressed in the games against Manchester City and Newcastle, and would most probably be played at the expense of the Czech. Almunia is still on the sidelines, which means that the recently impressive Fabianski retains his spot. Bendtner and Walcott played the entire Carling cup game and are likely to start from the bench, while Chamakh, Arshavin and Nasri are automatic choices for the forward lineup. The Frenchman is enjoying a fine season for the London club, having found the back of the net seven times already, and one can expect him to dazzle in this game as well.
With West Ham missing the services of Matthew Upson, Chamakh will be looking to utilize his aerial prowess against the central Hammers defense; Bacary Sagna’s overlapping runs with Nasri and his ever improving crosses will be useful to the Moroccan. Scott Parker has been West Ham’s star this season, and Song and Denilson will have the task of containing him and Mark Noble, who is also capable of scoring long rangers. With the physically imposing Charlton Cole certain to play at the Emirates, and Piquoinne and Obinna providing a consistent attacking threat in recent games, the Koscielny-Squillaci combination would be ideal , with Squillaci countering Cole and Koscielny defending against the pacy forwards. Nasri, Fabregas and Arshavin will be much more than a handful for the West Ham backline.
Probable Starting Eleven: Fabianski, Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy, Song, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Arshavin, Chamakh
West Ham United
Scott Parker has been by far the best player for the East London club, and was instrumental in their Carling Cup victory. Despite having played the entire 120 minutes of the game, Grant could take a gamble and throw his star player into the mix, as the midfield seems rather spineless in the England midfielder’s absence. However, Obinna and Piquoinne have shown glimpses of their potential, and Charlton Cole will be looking forward to replicate his performance against the Gunners last season at Upton Park. Matthew Upson suffered a knock in the previous League game against Newcastle, and is unavailable for this fixture; Collison and Hitzlsperger are long term absentees. Noble, Obinna and Behrami were on the bench against Stoke City and will be starting in this fixture.
Grant could resort to a 4-4-2 formation instead of the 4-3-3 one last weekend, including Kovac at the expense of either Piquonne or Obinna to counter the free flowing Arsenal midfield. With Clichy not having the best of his times and Arshavin possessing the tendency to be languid in low key fixtures, West Ham should come up with a plan of attack from the right side, sending in crosses to the towering Carlton Cole in the box. If the wingers can do the task consistently, the Hammers can fancy their chances of getting away with a point. The industrious Scott Parker will perform both attacking and defensive duties with a no-nonsense attitude, and can be devastating on his day.
Probable Starting Eleven: Green, Ilunga, Gabbidon, Da Costa, Jacobsen, Noble, Parker,Behrami, Kovac, Piquionne, Cole
Key Facts
1. The last five fixtures have ended 2-0, 2-2, 0-0, 2-0 and 2-0 in favor of Arsenal.
2. Arsenal have had four players in the opposition team sent off in nine premier league games this season.
3. The last four Premier League matches between Arsenal and West Ham has seen three red cards.
4. West Ham have scored exactly one goal in each of their last six Premier League games.
TheHardTackle’s PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR
Cesc Fabregas(Arsenal)
While Samir Nasri has grabbed all the headlines for Arsenal this season, one cannot discount the game changing factor which Cesc Fabregas brings to the Arsenal attacks. He was in the form of his life last season, and is going to be better with every passing year. His impeccable vision and decision making will be a nightmare for any defender, and he could use this game as a launchpad to begin his quest in leading Arsenal to the title.
TheHardTackle’s PREDICTION
Arsenal 3-0 West Ham United
West Ham will be exhausted by their epic encounter at Stoke City, and will have to defend for their lives if they wish to avoid a rout by Arsenal, who have been firing on all cylinders in their last three games. With the abundant quality available on the bench, the Gunners can fancy another big scoreline.
TheHardTackle’s BLAST FROM THE PAST