West Ham Fan View: 3 things to look out for against Arsenal
West Ham face Arsenal this Wednesday with the Hammers hoping to replicate their stunning performance against Chelsea. With Premier League games now coming up in quick succession, this period is our chance to ease our relegation fears. But will points accompany our improved performances?
Here are three things to look out for against the Gunners…
Should Javier Hernandez start?
Javier Hernandez returned from injury against Chelsea though he found himself on the bench for the duration of the game. This is understandable given that he had just returned but his inclusion in the starting XI against Arsenal is not guaranteed.
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We desperately needed to sign a striker in the summer and the arrival of Hernandez was welcomed. He knows the Premier League well and is a proven goalscorer but his time at the club has been underwhelming so far. The front three of Marko Arnautovic, Michail Antonio, and Manuel Lanzini have performed well in our recent two games and David Moyes should not change this attack.
Can we capitalise on Arsenal’s poor form?
The win over Chelsea was unexpected but there is now a real belief that we can gain all three points on Wednesday. Moyes is likely to adopt a similar game plan to our previous two games and Arsenal have struggled against this. Despite Arsenal’s dominance against Manchester United, the latter were able to counter with ease and ended up winning 3-1.
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Southampton also held Arsenal to a draw at the weekend and they have struggled away from home this season, losing half of their eight games.
The end of the difficult period
On paper, seeing West Ham face Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal consecutively did strike fear into a lot of fans. But our performances in these games have been surprising and it has given West Ham fans optimism for the future under Moyes.
We have a relatively easy fixture list following the game against Arsenal and given the way that we have been performing, it would not be unrealistic to say that we can progress up the table.