Key events
Barney Ronay on David Moyes
It is Moyes' team who are now the exotics and cultural antagonists. L'Équipe's report on the match against Brighton in August described “a clash of styles bordering on the cartoonish”, when West Ham made 13 passes to Brighton's 221 in the first half hour, but still won the match.
Team news: Trossard replaces Jorginho
David Moyes sticks with the same West Ham team that played well for much of their 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend, although Mohammed Kudus and Ben Johnson can/should switch flanks so Kudus can attack to Arsenal's left back.
This week, that left back is Jakub Kiwior. He covers for the injured Oleksandr Zinchenko at left back, one of two changes from the win over Liverpool. Jorginho, player of last Sunday's match, is replaced by Leandro Trossard. A different challenge means a different attacking balance: Kai Havertz will surely take Jorginho's position in midfield, with Trossard playing up front.
West Ham (possible 4-2-3-1) Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Álvarez, Soucek; Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Johnson; Bowen.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Cresswell, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Scarles, Phillips, Cornet, Ings, Mubama.
Arsenal (possible 4-1-2-3) stripe; Blanco, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice; Odegaard, Havertz; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Ramsdale, Soares, Walters, Jorginho, Elneny, Bandeira, Nwaneri, Nketiah, Nelson.
Referee Craig Pawson.
Preamble
John Part is one of the best darts commentators out there and particularly brilliant at describing the mental challenges of a sport with a unique ebb and flow. One of his favorite phrases is: “A break is only a break if you hold on.” For the grandmas reading this who were never taught to suck balls, this means that the grand gesture of breaking your opponent's throw counts for nothing unless you hold the next leg.
The point of this tangential, slightly indulgent, get-to-the-point introduction is to Arsenal I need to wait today. Well, they need to win, and that's where the analogy gets a little confusing. In terms of the title race, last weekend's stirring victory over Liverpool was a welcome break, but it will mean very little if they back it up with a win at West Ham today. It's a tall order, as Arsenal know all too well from last season, but no one has ever won a league title by simply winning the easy games.
There is another reason why Arsenal will be desperate to win today: So they can incite the match police by posing for a team photo on the pitch, with Martin Odegaard taking pictures with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. revenge. West Ham won the second leg 2-0 just after Christmas, the first of three consecutive defeats that left Arsenal briefly in power. first division Crisis Staff™. As they have recovered, West Ham have regressed beyond average: no wins in six, an FA Cup exit and an ongoing referendum on whether David Moyes' results are enough to justify the reactive style of play.
No Premier League team does more with less. West Ham have already won four games this season with a possession percentage of around 20: Brighton, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal. If they reach five, or even if they draw, Arsenal will once again be on the fringes of the title race.
Kick off 2pm
