The Premier League is upon us once again and Arsenal’s first opponents of the 2015/16 season are Slaven Bilic’s West Ham. Ordinarily any London derby is a fairly important game and one that Arsenal must always be looking to win and this one is no exception. However, following West Ham’s recent transfers they may be a more formidable opponent than has been the case in recent years. On the flip side, so far in pre season they have been particularly uninspiring and recently went out in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
The most notable additions to their team are Angelo Ogbonna and Dimitri Payet and both strengthen their squad massively. Ogbonna will slot in alongside Winston Reid and so will bulk up their central defence. The Italian defender is versatile as he can also be utilised at left back. He is well known for his pace, ball control, distribution and physical dominance; making him almost the perfect defender. I feel as though the only way to combat this physicality is to start Giroud up top so that he can match the physical presence of either of the West Ham central defenders. He may not be the fastest of forwards but his ability to turn his back on defenders, hold the ball up and then release his supporting wingers is a quality that few forwards possess.
Dimitri Payet offers a different problem. He is highly regarded as one of France’s best attacking midfielders thanks to his pace, tight ball control and quick feet. In a sense this makes him very similar to Santi Cazorla and therefore poses a problem. The only way to deal with someone like Payet is to cut off all possible avenues of attack. Similarly to the way David Silva was squeezed and choked last season against Manchester City, Arsenal need to make sure that the defensive midfielders are always ahead of the Frenchman forcing him into only sideways or backward passes and in doing so slowing down any attacks.
In all honesty, other than limiting Payet’s time and options on the ball there is very little else that Arsenal need to change in their style of play. As long as they play their possession game, stretching the opposition and waiting for a hole to probe then they shouldn’t have a problem beating Bilic’s side.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will play a big part in the first game of the season. Fans of Arsene Wenger’s side have been eagerly awaiting a time where the English international is injury free and now is the time for him to prove exactly what he can do. With Alexis very much a doubt for the game it seems only fair that Oxlade-Chamberlain should start on one wing with Walcott on the other. Not only will it cause nightmares for the West Ham defence being faced with so much pace, it will also allow for Olivier Giroud to get in on the action; either releasing the two speedsters or latching on to their crosses to head home.
This is a must win game for the Gunners and Arsene Wenger will be hoping his side begin the season strongly so that they do not fall behind early on in the season and be left clawing their way back for the rest of the campaign.
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