Manuel Pellegrini’s return to the English top flight has not been impressive so far as his West Ham side have now fallen to two defeats in their first couple of league games this season. The Chilean manager has added a number of exciting stars to his squad in the summer and now needs to make sure that they click as a team together if they are to compete for a place in Europe this season.
However, the loss to Bournemouth at the weekend has dampened the spirits in the camp, which now needs some lifting. They travel to Emirates this weekend, to face another struggling London side in Arsenal, who have also lost their first couple of games this season. West Ham will believe that they have a decent chance to take something from this game but Arsenal are a tough side to beat and will surely test the Hammers.
But here are three things Manuel Pellegrini can do, to try and inflict yet another defeat on the Gunners next weekend:
Frustrate Mesut Ozil
The German international has been far from impressive in the first two outings against top quality sides for Unai Emery but against West Ham, he will hope to bring his A-game. However, he is yet to hit the ground running and if the visitors can keep him calm and under pressure for most of the game, Arsenal will have a major creative source cut off. Ozil is a match winner and keeping him from creating chances will be crucial for West Ham to take anything from this game.
Target Arsenal’s Center-Backs
With just 9 tackles completed between Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis in two games, Arsenal have looked weak at the back yet again. The absence of Laurent Koscielny was felt in the first couple of games and West Ham will do well to target them and try to isolate the under pressure defenders. Crosses from outside the box, set-pieces and direct runs through the middle could be a real danger for Arsenal as the duo might struggle to keep up with the physicality and pace of the West Ham attack.
Jack Wilshere In The no.10 Role
The English midfielder spent over a decade at Emirates but will now be using the visitor’s dressing room. West Ham deployed him in a no.10 role at Anfield, where he failed to have an impact but against his former side, Wilshere will be pumped up to prove the club wrong and could be the danger man this weekend for the Gunners. He has the ability to win games for his side and Pellegrini should definitely use him in an advanced role, rather than alongside Mark Noble in a four-man midfield, like he did in the loss against Bournemouth.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
