GAME DAY BLOG: WEST HAM UNITED

MERINO PLAYING THE BIG MAN

Good morning my favorite Arsenal sickos, how are you doing today? I’m indoors, freezing my backside off, deeply regretting buying a house in a historic district with extremely tall windows that are specced to give you the true experience of living in America in the 1890s. We’ll probably have a polio outbreak in a few months as well to fully compliment the moment.

So what are we talking about today?

It’s West Ham United at home. I’m not very nervous, which is bad news for you, because every time I’m confident of a win, we’re utterly shite and the game is painful to watch.

Graham Potter is the top dog at West Ham right now and he’s bringing some of that JdP football to the Hammers. Why is this good news? Well, it typically takes even the best exemplars of this style 18 months to make it work. It took him two seasons of 16th and 15th positions to get Brighton banging. If he’s backed at West Ham, he’ll make them a very good side. I just wonder if it’s too soon for him tomorrow.

The Hammers are missing Summerville, Paqueta, and Fulkrig. Evan Ferguson is also unlikely to get a full 90 as they ease him back into the mixer. The game is going to be tough for them. It might also be tough for Arsenal fans. Patience will be a virtue, just like it was against Leicester.

Our injury news was fairly light, the biggest news was Tomi has had surgery again. I feel for the guy. It’s not his fault. No one wants to be injured.

Outside that, you just have to hope Arteta has dialed down the intensity this week and the players have taken full advantage of NOT having the play in the midweek melee of games.

Fan eyes will shift right to the front three when the team sheet drops tomorrow. Arteta was unclear on whether Merino was the first choice after his BLISTERING performance last weekend.

on if he’s given Mikel Merino more notice about his position:
No, not to him or to other players, especially because I want the players, when they’re on the pitch, they’re feeling what they’re doing and taking initiative. I don’t want players thinking: ‘what if tomorrow I have to do certain things?’ That’s why I did it.

on if playing Merino up front was an experiment that paid off:
If something that we haven’t done or he hasn’t done in his career to try is called an experiment, that’s it. In the end, it’s trying to fit the qualities that we have within the squad, within the players. We want to deliver and what the game requires and what the opposition requires, I would take it more into that aspect than the other one, but after it has to work. If not, it’s not the right call.

You can understand the dilemma Arteta has. A little similar to the one he had when Rob Holding was given the center back role when Saliba broke.

… if you have someone who was a prestige false 9 in the squad and put a clogged left sided ahead of them. You kill the false 9 guy. We need Raheem to be the dream. The man is already broken, Arteta might fully smash him tomorrow if he’s not selected.

But… that mindset prevented something unconventional happening when we could have brought Ben White into centre back and put Partey at right back a few season ago. Arteta rolled the dice on Holding because he didn’t want to break the squad morale or be perceived as unfair. It broke our title race instead.

I’m going to be honest here, I don’t want to see Raheem anywhere near that starting 11 tomorrow. He’s looked off the pace, his confidence is shot, and I am unconvinced he has what it takes to play the 9 role.

Merino has the power, the height, the pressing, the press resistance, and the touch around the box. He also scored two really good goals inside 10 minutes, so he’s as hot as they come.

Starting games and impacting them are two different skillsets. Maybe Arteta thinks it’s Mikel Solskjaear when I think it’s Mikel Van Persie. We’re going to find out either way.

One player that needs to bring his Nwaner-A-game tomorrow is Ethan. Crazy that our season is hingeing on a teenager blowing up another 90, but here we are. He’s on fire, he has to continue to burn down teams, and I really don’t see tomorrow being a problem for him.

UPDATE:

Here’s the line-up. My fears were not realised. Arsenal are going to START with he big man up top with his massive slab head knocking in goals. I love the 11, it’s the best we have. Just rough that we don’t have anything off the bench if things are tight.

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WEST HAM UNITED - ON THE WHISTLE