Arsenal are in crisis mode at present: they are out of Europe again thanks to a 10-2 aggregate defeat against Bayern Munich, they are 18 points behind league leaders Chelsea and have fallen 11 points behind local rivals Tottenham, they look as though they will miss a top four spot for the first time ever. An all under Arsene Wenger, at this point, many fans are mutinous and demanding Wenger’s head but the board has refused to say whether he will be manager next season. Star players Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have not signed new contracts and could be lured away by Premiership rivals. But what better than a home game against West Ham to lighten the gloom?
The Hammers are in dreadful form, having lost four games straight to leave them 14th, just six points above the relegation zone. In the betting to be the next Premiership manager to leave his post, Slaven Bilic is the favourite at 10/3, ahead of David Moyes at 7/2 with green listed bookmakers.
It has been a strange old season for West Ham, who initially struggled to adapt to life at their shiny new stadium and then were distracted by the Dimitri Payet saga. The low point of their season was a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal on December 3. They were tipped for relegation and Bilic seemed weeks away from getting sacked. But they turned it around. The very next game they drew with high-flying Liverpool, and then won three on the bounce against Burnley, Hull, and Swansea. Their upturn in form coincided with the return of Andy Carroll, such a big player for the Hammers, a behemoth of a striker that is virtually unplayable at times.
But just as they veered clear of rocky waters they started to unravel again, and West Ham have now taken zero points from four games. They have not been losing heavily: each game has seen them lose by a single goal, but the signs are worrying and Karren Brady has felt compelled to give Bilic the dreaded vote of no confidence. Losing to relegation-threatened Hull last time out when even a Carroll goal was not enough to save them, was a real blow for fans.
Now they head to the Emirates to face an Arsenal team that have only taken one point from three games. This is the perfect opportunity for the Gunners to reignite their bid for a top-four spot and make up some ground on Liverpool and Man City. They usually come good at this time of the season, when it is pretty much impossible for them to actually win the league and the pressure is off. They have the players to take West Ham apart again and should be full of motivation. Even if finishing in the top four has become tedious for Arsenal fans, a Champions League place for 2017-18 would still help the manager – whoever that may be, Wenger or someone else – attract new players in the summer, so it is a worthwhile goal.
Arsenal really should win this against a beleaguered West Ham and at 4/9 with Bet Stars, you can stick them in an accumulator. To get more value, look to the goals. Arsenal have not been keeping many clean sheets of late. The defence has looked terribly leaky and Laurent Koscielny keeps hobbling off injured. Carroll has terrorized the Arsenal defence time and time again in his career, and will probably give them another torrid afternoon. Meanwhile, West Ham have not kept a clean sheet in nine games. Arsenal to win and both teams to score looks a good bet at 17/10 with William Hill. Or if like many Arsenal fans, you have run out of confidence in Wenger, just both teams to score is 13/18 with Bwin.
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