Arsenal travel to West Ham today for a very tricky game against our London rivals. We may have beaten them 3-1 in the reverse fixture but it was far from easy, and Manual Pelligrini has got his team playing with confidence after a rocky start. Amazingly the Hammers have only lost twice in their last nine games, including six wins so it will be far from easy for the Gunners.
Our old keeper Lukasz Fabianski believes West Ham are going to give us a tough game. “When I look at our team, it’s full of quality and I think that, when someone is missing because of injury or any other issues, it doesn’t really affect us because we still know that whoever is going to replace him has so much quality about him that we’re not really losing anything,” he told the official West Ham website.
“When you look at our squad, there is loads of quality and that gives us the belief that we’re going to compete, even if there are important players missing.”
He also thinks that the Hammers are on course not to finish too far below Arsenal by the end of the season. “We are in a strong position to finish around the seventh place,” Lukasz continued. “We’re in a group of teams divided by only two or three points, which is only one result going differently, so we’re in our own little league.
“We want to try to finish as high as possible, so we’re all going to aim for that. We want to get as much as we can from the rest of the season.”
The Hammers also have other Arsenal old boys in Perez, Wilshere and Noble and of course Sami Nasri is likely to make his debut today too. But they have a very long injury list as well. Fabian Balbuena, Winston Reid, Manuel Lanzini, Carlos Sanchez, Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko, Ryan Fredericks and Chicharito are all unavailable, but we have also had a glut of injuries ourselves.
I have reported on how many Gunners have returned to training but without knowing how many are actually fit enough to play makes it nearly impossible to predict the Arsenal team. I am hoping to see at least a few of Bellerin, Ozil, Mustafi and Monreal return but there are no guarantees as yet.
If we don’t get any semblance of a defense back on the pitch then we could have reasons to worry today, especially as we haven’t won any of our last four away games. I’m really hoping we can outscore the Hammers but my head is telling me to expect a 2-2 draw…
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I’m going West Ham win 3-1
If he continues to play iwobi and a back 5
…if Brighton can cause us problems then w/ham can too…
but that (only) happens when our defensive first choice is left incomplete
we will see czech return to goal and we’ll scrape this 3 or 4-0; so sit back
and enjoy a wonderful display by mr marmite (ozil) #COYG
You guys love to singles out a few players for the failure(if any) of the entire team. Like it or not, Iwobi has contributed to the team more than Ozil this season. Though it doesn’t make him a world class player, he deserves some respect for at least playing to the coaches instruction when better earners are failing woefully. Some fans don’t appreciate players who stay fit when the MVPs are mostly playing about 1/3 of games because of their biscuit mentality and fitness. If the MVPs are doing their jobs as expected, you won’t be having cause to blame players like Iwobi.
…Fair point – although as part of iwobi’s personal development he’s been instructed to weigh in with goals – its something he’s not doing. so let’s see today if it part of his game that will improve – until it does he’s always going to be open to fans criticism.
Ozil’s failure to track his man lead to the equalizer against Brighton. We don’t see much call out on our highest paid star.
Iwobi shouldn’t be starting if the bigger stars are doing their jobs. That’s my point.
in my opinion the mere mention of iwobi as a first team constant is a testimony of how low our expectations have plummeted. Sorry he’s not a favourite of mine and i don’t see that will change anytime soon. But you’re right ozil should be called out when not on his game also –
As far as consensus goes ozil is currently being called out, and has been since last year for not performing at the level expected. (imo) the disarray shown by arsenals stop-start season is more down to our ill-regards for appointing a “New” captain;
…….
Excellent post. Please do try to ignore the the kind of comment by Xxx because it has no substance. If the opposite of his prediction happens with Iwobi in the team he won’t still give credit where is due.
Cool story bro ?
I’ll go for 2-2, but hopefully we can win. Neither team is getting a clean sheet though! Haha!
If we convert our early chances, we will win this game. Auba can’t afford to miss anything. 3 shots= 3 goals is not too much to ask from the WC strikers we currently posses. That’s how City won at West ham, from converting their early chances and by half time with the score 0-3, pretty much game over.
Iwobi vs Zabaleta is a no contest for me, although some haters like that one above me will still fancy the 33 years old. Anyway, it’s going to be an Arsenal win 1-2 I predict.
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Yea cause he’s really been lightning up the premiership this season hasn’t he
Some “haters”? Here you go again with your immature and damagingly wrong and harmful misuse of our rich and special language. It seems to me that anyone who disagrees with YOU is regarded as a “hater”. A pathetic misuse of language from a person who neither cares nor has ANY idea of the harm you are doing.
I would appeal to you not to repeat it but I have done so on several previous occasions and it always falls on deaf ears. Sigh!!!!
mr marmite (ozil) returns to form and lacazette to figure in a 3 or 4 goal to nil route
someone from w/ham gets sent off (so says the magic ball :)) for failing to time their tackles,
due to the arsenal offensive showing to be irrepressible #COYG
It’s bad when fans can’t pick the team after twenty games.
Jah Son, fans duty is to give support to the team and not to select or predict it. That is the job for the coach.
Or maybe sad is a better choice of words.
@xxnofx,iwobi has arguably been our best player for the past 3 game,so what else do you want from him.i know you said he’s crap and I agree with you to some extent though I still think the boy has talent but you always make it feels like he’s the only one in the team,bro it’s not iwobi fault that the coach trust him more than mesut,so please support him a little,at least give him some credits when he has a good game which I think he’s been having since the Liverpool match.
I haven’t seen it just because he plays one decent pass a game dosent mean he’s had a good game ,the amount of times he just dribbles pass himself, runs the ball out, he can’t pass, he shoots like a 10year old kid .im not hating on him I just don’t like him as a footballer and if rumours are true then emery is trying to find a better player in that position .
I’m not sure why I get so much crap
Off other fans when it comes to iwobi ,the amount of crap fans on here say about xhaka but I suppose we got no switz arsenal fans to back him up .
Seriously man, that was a very lame attempt. What is this…“im not hating on him I just don’t like him as a footballer” ?? Shut up man!
Hey Xnofxx have you seen the line up?
Yes like I predicted 5 at the back and playing with 10 men from the start
Come back to me after the game and we can discuss you’re man crush
So we’re in that god damn vile green kit (only won once in it v Bournemouth) we’re away from home… I don’t even want to attempt to call this… obviously I want us to win… I can’t see either side keeping a clean sheet though, they’ve conceded one more goal than us!
It will be a very entertaining game COYG
Nice one @Lenohappy.
I completely agreet with u.
am not too Confident about today’s match,but I pray we win.
Its not as if, fans cant predict the line up, but when you have an injury deplected team where about 5 established players are coming back to full training, without an extra knowlege of their fitness status, you cant be sure, x,y and z will start, just like the author opined. Can we just cast our mind away from all this useless transfer rumours and support the team without sentiments. Coyg
Four ex arsenal players,should be a tough match.coyg
Didn’t know that Noble was an Arsenal ‘old boy’.
No Ozil ? but that little sh*t Nasri starts
The line up is perfect starring *IWOBI* ?
He’ll come good
Haha was waiting for that Th14 ?