Morning all.
A 3pm kick off for Arsenal is a rare thing this season, so far anyway. I’m surprised this one against West Ham hasn’t been moved television though as West Ham have beaten us at The Emirates the last two seasons.
Last time around it was Jarrod Bowen who scored the only goal of the game and any hope of finding an equaliser was made even more difficult when Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off with twenty minutes to go. Having been initially booked by Craig Pawson for pulling over Mohammed Kudus on the halfway line, VAR intervened as Lewis-Skelly was deemed to be the last man. Pawson changed his mind and that was that.
The season before was worse, not only because we lost 2-0 but it was our first home defeat of the season and when May came around, our home results ultimately cost us a league title. Anyway, there is nothing we can do about the past but today we can do all we can to prevent West Ham making it three away victories in a row over us at The Emirates.
Team News:
Piero Hincapie is unavailable again, as is Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus although Mikel Arteta hopes the Ecuadorian will return after the international break. Yes, we have another one of those after this weekend’s fixtures. Gabriel faces a late fitness test but the rest are good to go. West Ham have had a shocking start to this campaign, losing four, drawing one and winning one. Ironically, their only win came against Nottingham Forest when Nuno Espírito Santo was in charge. Since then of course he’s been sacked by Forest and re employed by West Ham. They earned a draw at Everton on Monday but apparently that came via a stroke of good fortune when a Bowen shot took a deflection.
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme:
Nuno’s long-term philosophy is built around being defensively compact, sitting deep, and launching fast, direct breakaways. Examining the attributes of the players he has inherited, it seems likely that West Ham will play in a similar manner under his supervision.
Against Everton, they lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation. The Hammers have speed and ball-carrying prowess out wide via Bowen and Crysencio Summerville. Inside them, the creative Lucas Paqueta and Matheus Fernandes also have the ability to unlock any defence.
In El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters, they have full-backs who can impact matches inside the final third with intermittent overlaps. Left-back Diouf [above] has been eye-catching, displaying incredible pace and top-class crossing ability. With three assists to his name already, the 20-year-old is an emerging talent we must keep an eye on.
West Ham have conceded eight goals from corners in the league already, as many as they did in the whole of last season. Our famous inswingers into a crowded six-yard box are just the type of delivery they have struggled most to defend, so from their perspective, it will be key for them not to concede too many corner kicks.
I’d like to think Mikel Arteta’s players will prove to be too strong for West Ham this afternoon. Our squad is stronger, Viktor Gyokeres is a handful for any defence and as a group, they never give up. Defensively, we are one of the best, if not the best in this league and if our attacking unit clicks, even the new manager boost shouldn’t stand in our way of getting all three points this afternoon.
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico, today’s game is the first of the season that is not on live tv so I guess I’ll have to watch Sky’s very own Muppet show. One talking head four opinionated ex players and the worst referee, thankfully now retired, ever to (dis) grace the Premiership.
My guess for the starting eleven. Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Rice, Zubimendi, Saka, Viktor G, Martinelli. Our strongest eleven? Arguably!
Earlier this morning I read that Arsenal are open to offers of around £32 million for Jesus.
Morning Cicero, I’ll be doing the same probably or listening to the radio/arsenal.com.
£32m for Jesus seems a bit wishful thinking…
I think Eze will start this one having been rested midweek.
I can see the sense in letting him go , during his unfortunate injury time his usefulness has been overtaken by the emergence of Nwaneri and the purchase of Manueke. Things have moved on and like his friend Zinchenko his time has run out .
Arsenal’s women play Man City today. Midday kickoff live on Sky Sports.
Agree, makes total sense to let him go, for his sake as much as the clubs.
£32 million is an optimistic price, I agree, but gives room for a bit of bargaining.
I said this before, and will say it again. Odegaard should be deployed deep like how Wenger used Arteta and Cazola. Play him with Rice or Zubimendi. Push Eze to the 10. When you play Merino play him as a forward. With Odegaard pressing, passing and ball retention abilities you lose nothing defensively; however, you get your two best distributors Eze and Odegaard centrally.
Hi there!
Another difficult game.
Always at a time when the opponent is rising.
Let’s wait for the victory..
Afternoon Rico and all, should be a good today, just watching leeds vs tottenham at half time it’s 1-1 can’t work this ref out, one minute he lets all tackles go then the next minute he starts paying every tackle.
Afternoon Geoff.
Every game is this league is hard imo..
Odegaard off with a knee injury , it does not look that bad
He must feel utterly fed up with being injured.
At last. 1-0 Rice.
Rice goal, good team work
except for the first few minute when we let them nearly score, we have been in full control, Timber is having a good game
1 – 0 at half time, nice first half, with a bit of luck we could have been 3 up if we keep attacking the goal, I can see us scoring more in the second half.
Blimey, a penalty.
2-0
Saka score with a penalty, 2 nil up, lets keep going
2 – 0 nice win, clean sheet and good team performance, we were very unlucky not to score more,
Only down side was 21 attemps on goal and we only scores twice and one of them was a penalty,
They will start going in soon, I’m sure..
Two goals, clean sheet, three points. Top of the league. 🔔🔔
Could do with Chelsea scoring a winner.