After the pretty poor and passive way that Arsenal were sent out of the EFL cup at home to Southampton last night, Arsene Wenger and the fans will be hoping that the Gunners can fire again this weekend and bounce back where it really matters the most, the Premier League.
And to be fair we have got a fixture that should not be too difficult as long as Arsenal play better than we did last night, which is something we can reasonable expect to happen with the likes of Koscielny, Nustafi, Alexis Sanchez, Ozil and all due back in the starting line up.
Our opponents West Ham may have had a great season last time out but Slaven Bilic is struggling to replicate that at their new ground and their campaign so far has been fairly dismal, and sees them languishing just two places and a single point off the relegation places.
And if you think that our cup exit last night was a blow, just look at West Ham who were pasted 4-1 by the under fire Man United and that was with quite a few of their regular first team stars playing, so they will be seriously low in confidence for the visit of Arsenal.
You may also have seen this week that Bilic has been hit with an injury blow that has ruled out his main centre forward, Diafra Sakho, out for over a month. But for Arsenal fans who might think this helps us, I would not be so sure, because the player set to replace him, even though it will be his first game back from his own injury, is Andy Carroll.
You probably do not need me to remind you but it was a Carroll hat-trick last season when the Gunners had gone two goals up that may have been the final nail in the coffin of our title hopes. Sakho is a loss to West Ham, of course, but in Carroll they have a player that seems to thrive against us and who on his day could be a massive thorn in our side again.
Can Mustafi and Koscielny keep him under control and can Arsenal inflict further misery on the Hammers?
Bob.
West Ham might be struggling now, but their football is not change since last season success. Dmitri Payet makes them still play like top flight but minus the results. No bus parking, that’ll be good for us.
My worry is about Arsene’s midfield selections. Santi’s DLP role and his duet with Coquelin proven to be the most vital aspect for our transition. If we don’t release the ball faster enough then we’ll lost plenty counter attack opportunities. Now, this is my concern. I thought we bought Xhaka because Arsene saw the quality of DLP on him, not just an ordinary CDM. So, why the hell he keep pairing Coquelin and Elneny for? Elneny seemed clueless when it comes to attack. Another name is Ramsey. He tents to delay the ball, which made our attack look liked endless pinball. Key player for our title campaign this season is Santi Cazorla who got three months set back recovery. So, if Arsene doesn’t find out his replacement within the team, my opinion the answer is Xhaka, we are in deep deep trouble. That 4th place is waiting in the near horizon.