Top of the Table? Arsenal v West Ham; Match Preview
A London Derby Delight
“With eight games – four at home, four away – left, we are still in the race, so let’s have a go.” – Arsene Wenger. That’s pretty straight forward, isn’t it? So, without looking ahead and the eye firmly on the league prize, Arsenal play host to London rivals West Ham.
Again for Arsenal its facing off against a team that is within spitting distance of the relegation zone but who always plays the Gunners hard. West Ham will likely stave off relegation, thanks in part to Pompey’s 9 point deduction and that Burnley and Hull are worse than they are. However, it has not been the season the Hammers thought they would have. Last season they finishined in the top 10 and had their sights firmly on qualifying for Europe this season.
Unfortunately things don’t go always as planned and thanks to injuries and inconsistency Gianfranco Zola (a good manager) is likely on the chopping block. In fairness it is not all his fault. Mismanagement of the team from the former owners and lack of available funds (bad spending policies) made it near impossible for Zola to fill out his squad appropriately. Throw all that in with the fact that West Ham have only won once on the road this season, and you get their current predicament.
The good news for West Ham is that Carlton Cole has returned from a prolonged injury. The big strong central man always figures large in these matches and there is no doubting he will try to again. Also coming back in time for this match is Mark Noble. But while they return the team loses skipper Scott Parker who is suffering from a leg injury.
While it is likely this match will mean little to West Ham’s relegation hopes – they aren’t expected to win here – they will play a tought game for the Gunners and will do everything they can to frustrate them. They’ve shown they can be dangerous and can score. So Arsenal cannot look past this match and on to other pastures that seem brighter.
When Arsenal last met West Ham, the Gunners sat on a 2-0 comfortable lead for most of the match only to let stupid lapses cause them to let the Hammers back into the match. The result was a 2-2 tie that really began the discussion about the back four of the squad and also whether or not we had sufficient goal keeping to keep us in the title hunt.
All that seems so long ago. The Gunners are shoring up their defence. Even with William Gallas out and the old man of the squad, Sol Campbell filling in the defense has been solid – for the most part. With the exception of the questionable penalty call against Sol in the Hull match – the Gunners have only conceded 1 goal (2 total) with Sol starting. They still limit the shots on Almunia and Almunia has being doing just enough right to see them through.
The Gunners are on a solid run of form having dispacted their last 5 premier league opponents. In those 5 games – even matches they’ve lead with big leads – the Gunners have managed to at least score 1 goal in the last 10 minutes of each match. For their opposition having a draw or a 1 goal lead will not be enough. To put the Gunners away you have to score more than one. THe league’s most potent offence has shown this season that they can score and score to rescue games when the outcome seems so against them. But frankly, that is what it takes to be a winner and dare I say a champion. You can’t always win pretty – sometimes you have to win ugly. You have to dig down and just press on and hope a break falls your way and that you get the goal. That is what Arsenal have done, especially in matches they probably shouldn’t have won. But they did.
Arsene Wenger’s squad will be bouyed this week by the return of Captain Cesc Fabregas. It is likley that the catallan could’ve played last week if it was really deemed necessary, but Arsene and the physios did the right thing letting him rest another weekend and get healthy for the run. Also returning to the squad is Alexander Song who missed the last two EPL matches while serving a two game suspension for his tenth yellow card. However, William Gallas is still suffering from a niggly calf injury and the time frame for his return is unknown.
Overall this is another match that the Gunners must win in order to maintain the pressure on United and Chelsea. The good thing about playing today is that should they win – they get the leisure of being at the top of the table for at least a day and seeing how their title rivals fare. Out of the three teams the probably have the easiest tie. United face off against Liverpool and Chelsea who could be in a fragile state of mind given their CL burn out face off against Bolton.
Still it is a good weekend to be an Arsenal fan. It’s time to sit back and watch the weekend play out.
How the Match Should Play Out:
In their last meeting Arsenal dominated most of the match. Even after West Ham came back to 2-2 Arsenal held the attack and could’ve gone on to win the game. Either Walcott or Nasri will start on the wing (I am going for Nasri) and either of them should create match up issues for West Ham. Walcott for his pace and Nasri for his play making ability. Arsenal are certainly going to be geared up for the match given their recent form, their confidence and what is at stake. Throw that all into a home match and unfortunately things do not look good for the visitors. The good, is that Zola does not preach at “hard” style. He will likely have his team press but they do play a more open style and even in tight corners they could still give Arsenal the space to play. I think Arsenal score AGAIN within the first 15 minutes of the match.
Players to Watch:
Arsenal: Nicklas Bendtner. Okay, I admit it – he is putting actions behind his words. He wants to be the best and he is doing all he can to show it. He has scored 6 goals in his last 3 matches. While he still has some developing to do he has given Arsenal a sorely needed presence in the center of the box.
West Ham: Carlton Cole. Carlton has a lot to play for in the remainder of the season. He is looking to force Fabio Capello to take a good hard look at him when making out his England squad for South Africa. With a chip like that on his shoulder the big man should be more than up for making his presence felt.
Probable Starting XI:
It could work out this way
Injuries/Suspensions:
Arsenal: Gallas (calf) Van Persie (ankle) Gibbs (foot) Djourou (knee) Ramsey (leg)
West Ham: Boa Morte (knee) Hines ( knee) Ilunga (tendon) Parker (leg) Faubert (hamstring) De Costa (suspended)
Recent League Form:
Arsenal: WWWWW
West Ham: LLLWW
Leading Scorers:
Arsenal: Fabregas 17 (14 league) Arshavin 11 (9 league)
West Ham: Cole 9 (9 league) Diamanti 8 (7 league)
Last Meeting: (FA CUP)
Arsenal: 2
West Ham: 1
Match Officials:
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant Referrees: Phil Sharp & Peter Kirkup
4th Official: Lee Probert
Broadcast Outlets:
US: Fox Soccer Channel and FoxSoccer.TV 1330 EST
UK: ESPN 4 1730 GMT
Online Feeds:
www.atdhe.net
Gameday Chat Will Be Open: www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 3
West Ham: 1
