A lot has changed at West Ham United since they helped derail Arsenal’s Premier League title push back in February, and not just in the dugout with Nuno Espirito Santo replacing Graham Potter.
Of the eleven players who started when Jarrod Bowen scored the only goal of the game at the Emirates eight months ago, arguably only three are expected to feature on the team sheet this time around.
Mohammed Kudus, Aaron Cresswell and Edson Alvarez have all departed. James Ward-Prowse was dropped by Nuno for Monday’s trip to Everton. Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are available but likely to begin on the bench after recent illnesses.
Tomas Soucek is suspended, meanwhile. And West Ham United’s Young Player of the Year Ollie Scarles is very much behind Malick Diouf in the pecking order these days.
A new manager and a host of new faces, then, for Mikel Arteta to contend with as the Arsenal boss looks to avoid a third straight Premier League home defeat against their London neighbours.
And, while the Spaniard has an excellent recent record against Nuno Espirito Santo, he is expecting the Hammers to take big steps forward under a coach whose track record at Wolves and Nottingham Forest suggests brighter days are just around the corner.
Mikel Arteta says West Ham United have a ‘top manager’ in Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno lost his job at Nottingham Forest just days before Ange Postecoglou suffered a 3-0 debut defeat away to Arsenal in September.
An expert in setting up a rock-solid backline, Nuno’s Forest kept a clean sheet against The Gunners back in February, in contrast.
Arteta has still triumphed in four of the last five meetings between the two managers, though he has not forgotten losing back-to-back matches against the 51-year-old’s Wolves outfit back in 2020/21.
“We want to continue to dominate games in the manner we are doing,” Arteta said during his Friday press conference, Arsenal only slipping up against Man City and Liverpool so far this term. “It’s going to be a key fixture.
“Obviously with them, we had two defeats against them in the last two fixtures here. It’s something we need to put right, and tomorrow is an opportunity [to do that]. That [proves] the difficulty of the game we will have to play tomorrow, with a new manager as well.
“I know Nuno really well, how he sets up his teams. So, we expect a really tough match. A top manager. A top coach with a lot of experience. A really difficult game ahead.”
Arteta demands a fast start against the Hammers at the Emirates
Arsenal could be boosted by the availability of Gabriel after the big Brazilian was forced off against Olympiakos on Wednesday.
Nuno knows West Ham must fix their ‘big problem’ when it comes to defending set-pieces, and Gabriel – who scored a stoppage-time winner against Newcastle last weekend with a towering header – will pose a massive test of his early work at Rush Green.
“It is about generating momentum. There are periods in the season that are capital, and tomorrow’s game is a really important one for us,” Arteta adds, demanding a fast start against a team expected to sit deep and hit their hosts on the counter.
“That’s why, from the beginning, we need to generate [momentum] in the stadium and go for it.
“There are always moments when you drop points, and [against] West Ham has certainly been one of those. At home, we know the amount of games we have to win to reach the target that we have. That is the game.
“Tomorrow is going to be a key match for us.”
