Arsenal were made to work hard to secure their first win at Emirates this season as they registered a 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday. They even had to rely on a late goal from Eddie Nketiah to bail them out with the Hammers dominating the game for the most part of the second half.
In this article, we will talk about two key observations from Arsenal’s win over West Ham.
Is It Saka Or Maitland-Niles?
Arteta had to make three changes to the side that secured a win over Fulham last weekend, one of them being Bukayo Saka returning to the side at the expense of Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
With Willian and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang operating as wingers, the youngster was a like for like switch for Maitland-Niles, in the left wingback role.
Unfortunately, Saka had difficulties imposing his quality in the attack as he was often forced to do his defensive duties against Jaren Bowen. He also looked tired later in the game, with his lack of physical attributes giving Ryan Fredericks the upper hand. The youngster did, however, provide a key through pass to Dani Ceballos that led to the winner.
It begs the question as to whether or not Arteta should consider Saka ahead of Maitland-Niles this season, which is a difficult choice as the latter’s physical quality and stamina make him a more accomplished athlete. The best option for Arsenal right now is to rotate these two, depending on the type of opposition as Saka is certainly much more useful against a team who sit back and defend.
Sead Kolasinac Should Not Play At Centre-Back. Ever.
Sead Kolasinac’s struggles in integrating himself under Arteta during the backend of last season has already been well-documented. The ex-Schalke star simply doesn’t have the discipline to thrive in a central defensive role.
Last night, unfortunately, Kieran Tierney picked up a training injury, forcing Arteta to start with Kolasinac at centre-back. And unsurprisingly, the Bosnian was abject in his defensive display as he struggled to cope with the threat of Bowen on the left flank. He also lacked proper communication with his partners while leaving out space for the West Ham attackers to exploit.
Therefore, it is about time for Arteta not to consider Kolasinac as a central defender anymore. Fortunately for the Spaniard, David Luiz made his return from injury in the last game and should be fit for the Liverpool clash.
