Arsenal were still considered possible title challengers before we visited the Hammers in the League, and when we raced into a 2-0 lead everything was looking good. Then along came Andy Carrol who made our defence look amateur with three goals to put West Ham in the lead. Luckily Laurent Koscielny popped up with an equaliser at the death, but one point was simply not enough.
There was much frustration from the Arsenal fans who witnessed our capitulation, and there were lots of unhappy players trooping off the pitch as well with the boos echoing in their ears. One of those was Hector Bellerin, who will not be available tomorrow, but is hoping very much that things are different at the London Arena after the calamitous visit to the Boleyn Ground last year. “Maybe it will be easier,” the Spaniard said.
“As a footballer you’ve got to be able to play in any situation. That’s what makes you a professional.
“Obviously, you feel the heat of the fans. You can feel when they are on your back and when they are against you. When things don’t go well you can feel that pressure. I’m not sure if that’s going to be any different [at the London Stadium]. Maybe it’s goes in our favour or maybe it doesn’t.
“It’s up to us to go to the pitch and perform the way we know we can. We can’t blame it on the people who are watching us because ultimately it is up to us to focus and control those emotions.
“It’s always hard to play West Ham away and one of the toughest games of the year.
“They are a team who are always really organised and we know it’s going to be hard to take those three points.”
The hammers were brilliant at times last season, but so were we! It seems that the ground move has not agreed with them so far but that could change at any time. Arsenal must be on their toes right from the start as a win will help them ground on either Chelsea, Man City, or hopefully both!
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