How do you think Manel Pellegrini is going to set his team up for the tricky Carabou/Elk Cup fixture this Tuesday against Wimbledon ? The Sky TV cameras will be there so they obviously expect a bit of 'giant killing!'
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Monreal, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Aubameyang, Iwobi. Subs: Leno, Elneny, Lazazette, Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Holding, Welbeck.
West Ham: Fabianski, Balbuena, Fredericks, Masuaku, Anderson, Snodgrass, Sanchez, Wilshere, Diop, Antonio, Arnautovic. Subs: Adrian, Zabaleta, Obiang, Hernandez, Yarmolenko, Perez, Rice.
Could it be 4-1-1-3-1 for the Hammers?
Fabianski
Masuaku-Balbuena-Diop-Fredericks
Sanchez
Wilshere
Snodgrass-Anderson-Antonio,
Arnoutovic
West Ham travel the short distance across London to the Emirates Stadium to take on an Arsenal side that shares the dubious tag of being without points after two Premer League matches, both clubs have new managers and several new players to integrate in to their systems, West Ham more so than Arsenal.
Back in the day before we at the Org were banned from West Ham United press conferences, Journo's used to ask quite telling questions, if they were too much the manager would give a look that meant it was a no go area and the subject would generally be dropped.
Just months after informing him that his services were no longer required, West Ham United are considering a season's long deal for the out of contract James Collins. The 34 year old Welshman has been training with the main squad for the last few days prompting hopes that the ever popular defender might return to the club that he has spent 11 years with in total.
Following on from the 'Axeman cometh' headlines since Saturday's defeat against Bournemouth, it is now being claimed that Manuel Pellegrini is preparing to make as many as five or six changes as he attempts to make a clean sweep of what many have percieved to be his plan (A), are these the actions of a new manager already hitting the panic button or those of an experienced professional merely sorting the wheat from the chaff?
Manuel Pellegrini looks certain to 'wield the axe' ahead of the london derby against Arsenal at the Emirates this weekend, having seen his team trounced 4-0 by Liverpool on the opening day of the season followed by the lame 2-1 capitulation to Bournemouth at the London Stadium, change is afoot. The 'nice' man will not be so nice in the future, the results will have opened his eyes up to the size of the task ahead of him although he must have had a pretty good idea of what was to come!
Manuel Pellegrini was an angry man during his post match press conference following West Ham United's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth at The London Stadium, he blamed the players for 'feeling the fear' and the fans for deserting the ground in their droves well before the match was due to end. However the 64year old Chilean reserved his most scathing criticism of his players for the spanish speaking media, he declared that apart from showing fear some of the players believed that the match was won by half time, and that his warnings were ignored by 'some players who should have known better'.
The London Stadium, packed house, the dawning of a new era, after an initial early flurry from the visitors which include Fabianski having to make a very good save Hammers eased in to the match and were playing 'expansive' attractive football, unfortunately there were some worrying signs of defensive naivety showing early on.
West Ham: Fabianski, Masuaku, Ogbonna, Balbuena , Zabaleta , Noble, Wilshere, Anderson, Snodgrass, Hernandez Arnoutovic.
Subs: Adrian, Fredericks , Yarmolenko, Diop, Antonio ,Obiang...