After the high of the victory at St James’ Park on Monday comes the sober anticipation of Saturday’s West Ham United v Arsenal fixture . The Gunners welcome back a string of recovering players recovering from injury and are on a run of pretty inspiring performances against Sporting Lisbon and Brighton and Hove Albion. Martin Odegaard’s return in Arsenal’s midfield means it is back to its combative best.
Countering this will be Lopetegui’s main aim in his planning and preparation. Most pundits agree that The Gunners are simply too strong, but could lightning strike twice with another Hammers victory?
Paul Merson thinks not. Writing on sportskeeda.com:”West Ham got an incredible win against Newcastle. But they are never going to keep this free-flowing Arsenal team out of the game. I have a feeling Arsenal will destroy West Ham’s midfield.”
Little comfort there. Remember though that every single pundit got it wrong on Monday night.
Lopetegui will have to find a solution to Arsenal’s rampant midfield: A formation-switch seems possible although a little bit terrifying to Hammers fans who have seen it go very wrong before.
The Spaniard has ‘form’ for playing three at the back and a four-man midfield which is an option to defeat Arsenal’s supremacy in the middle of the pitch BUT The Chelsea game immediately springs to mind where nobody, least of all the players, understood what Lopetegui was demanding with the weird ‘two centre backs plus Alvarez’ layout allowed Chelsea’s Nicholas Jackson to waltz straight through.
Whatever the chosen formation it is important that Tomas Soucek doesn’t get swamped in midfield. Soler and Paquetá need to be on top of their game and less adventurous. Do they have it in them to be more resolute and less attacking – especially in that first 45 minutes? That will be the key. West Ham simply must not get blown away in the first 45.
Martin, can you get nothing right? Always lying, can’t believe a word you write. “Odegaard returns”, this will be his third game back.
I agree we shouldn’t get too despondent if we get beaten on Saturday, as long as we see the same application and organisation as Monday. I would not have Alvarez in the team and definitely not as a defender. Last season I thought Kudus and him were the standout players this season not so as neither seem to be playing for the team. But in the current circumstances are great players to be able to bring on if we are in with a shout.
As a dedicated armchair manager, I would put Paqueta to man mark Ødegaard throughout and have Summerville to help Emerson double up on Saka when defending. Limiting Arsenal’s right side would be my best bet to even the odds.
Paqueta is physical- and fast enough to manage Ødegaard – and our only player creative enough to foresee what Ødegaard is planning.
I’ll have a few quid on Lucas getting a caution!
…which minute, btw? asking for a family member 👀😏
Just as we shouldn’t get overly excited following our solid performance against Newcastle, it was one game after all; we shouldn’t get too down if we get turned over by Arsenal.
They are a top side on a great run of form. As long as we see some effort and passion in the game we can bring that into the following fixtures where we can perform well and pick up some points to catapult us up the table.
If we perform to the levels we reached in the last game, we will push Arsenal hard. Let’s just hope we can take something positive from the game. 3 points preferably.
COYI
We need a performance not a slump back to recent weak disorganisation. Everton was only two games ago. To follow up with a Newcastle like performance is what’s important to me, something to make me think that we will take points from games if not in this one then in the next one. Newcastle has to be shown to be not a one off…