West Ham United Vs Arsenal - Match Preview

Arsène Wenger has had a pretty average week – but he still feels lucky.

Last Saturday, Arsenal needed a last-minute penalty to scrape a draw with Leeds in the FA Cup, four days later they lost 1-0 at Ipswich in the first leg of the Carling Cup Semi-Final.

Both were below-par performances but neither has inflicted irreparable damage – and, mostly importantly, Wenger knows he’ll have the time to turnaround the situation.

The Frenchman has always been a stalwart for stability, something that Avram Grant, his opposite number on Saturday night, is struggling to obtain at Upton Park.

West Ham are rock bottom of the Premier League right now and have barely been higher all season. It has led to very public pressure of Grant’s position – a discomfort Wenger has never really faced at Arsenal.

“I am very lucky and I know my luck,” he admitted on Friday.

“This is a job where you give yourself completely to the next game. You have to behave like you stay your whole life at the club, knowing it can end at any minute.

“But, at the same time, after I identified the clubs where I can work, I did not walk away when I had the possibility. I was always loyal to the club where I was.

“In the case of Grant I don’t think he wants to walk away. But I stayed at the club when I found a condition where I could work in the way I want.”

These two managers could be leading out their teams in the Carling Cup Final late next month. West Ham will take a tight 2-1 advantage to Birmingham for the second leg. Despite a poor performance in the first game, Arsenal are still expected to overturn that 1-0 lead Ipswich secured at Portman Road.

“I said we were naïve and had no spark,” said Wenger. “I don’t think I have anything to change on that statement. The players are conscious of that, it was a night off as you say. We are of course sorry and we want to put things right in the second leg. We had a completely average performance.

“But we will not play like that at West Ham. We want to win there.”

On the eve of the game, Wenger confirmed that Lukasz Fabianski would miss out because of a shoulder injury. Wojciech Szczesny will play his third successive game in goal and James Shea, 19, would be on the bench.

However Wenger still rates the older Pole as his first choice.

“Szczesny has presence, has size and has quality,” he said. “We are in a world of competition but, for me, at the moment it’s clear Fabianski is No 1”.

Denilson (thigh) is also out but Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie are back after missing out with minor kicks in midweek.

West Ham have lost four of their last six games and, in their previous Premier League match, suffered their worst defeat in four years when they went down 5-0 at Newcastle.

But then that Ipswich defeat was only Arsenal’s second loss to lower League opposition in the Wenger era. The Suffolk side was aptly agricultural in their approach at times but the manager accepts the tactic troubled his team.

“I have seen many games where [long balls] are the Achilles heel of any team,” said Wenger. “We have to deal with that now and we wanted to deal with that at Ipswich.

“It was the only problem we faced and they did that in a consistent way – we had 60-70 per cent of the ball and when you have that you want to create more than we did.

“They gave us this problem, it is normal and we have to deal with that but, on the night, I personally believe that with the ball we did not create enough.

“We respect the way that Ipswich played but now we want to play well at West Ham on Saturday. We are on a good run in the Premier League and we want to continue that. We have produced fantastic games, quality-wise, during the Christmas period. I think we switched off a bit mentally during the Cup games, I am confident we will switch on against West Ham.”

This is turning in a sticky spell for Arsenal. Since beating Chelsea so comprehensively on December 27, they have played five times and won just once.

Perhaps a mental fatigue is the main factor. The manager has claimed his injury list is about as clear as it has ever been at this stage of a season and that has the extra benefit of allowing rotation. Legs are relatively fresh.

Arsenal have lost nothing in 2011 but, at the same, a little dip has complicated an already difficult burden.

In the next few days they go to West Ham and Leeds. Only one is a cup game but both will feel like it.

And this time, unlike their two games last week, Arsenal have no real margin for error.

Manuel Almunia & Andrey Arshavin set to leave Arsenal - report

Arsenal are ready to sell Manuel Almunia and Andrey Arshavin in the current transfer window, according to The Metro.

The Spanish shot-stopper has had trouble with injury and is now thought to be third in the pecking order, with Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny ahead of him.

As for the Russian, he has suffered an inconsistent run of form and has put in a series of under-par performances.

Arshavin has also been linked with a move away from the Emirates, with the attacker having been linked with a move to Juventus.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reported to be keen on shoring up his back line, as injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and Sebastien Squillaci have left his defence in poor shape.

Carling Cup : Ipswich Town 1 - 0 Arsenal - Match Report

Arsenal will have to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Ipswich at Emirates Stadium on January 25 in order to reach the Carling Cup Final.


The Championship side pulled off a surprise victory in the Semi-Final first leg on Wednesday thanks to a breakaway goal from Tamas Priskin. The Hungarian striker collected Colin Healy’s pass and slotted home 12 minutes from time to send Portman Road into delirium. 


In the dying minutes, the home side might have doubled their advantage when Wojciech Szczesny saved from Carlos Edwards. 
 


While far from their best, Arsenal did have chances. Cesc Fabregas sliced over from close-range just before the goal and ‘keeper Martin Fulop made two fine saves from Theo Walcott.
 


The visitors started and ended the game well but, in between, Ipswich posed the greater danger.

Arsenal’s second-leg task is hardly insurmountable but if the Suffolk side can muster the same effort and endeavour at Emirates Stadium, then Arsène Wenger’s men will have a task on their hands.


It is all set up for a cracker.


As expected, Wenger put out a strong team. In fact, with the exception of Bacary Sagna (suspended), Sebastien Squillaci (hamstring), Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri and Lukasz Fabianski (all rested), it was first-choice squad.

OK, that is half-a-side of omissions but the Carling Cup has been the preserve of squad members and youngsters at Arsenal for the best part of a decade. This season it has been different. 
 


Szczesny kept his place in goal and Nicklas Bendtner was the lone frontman supported by Andrey Arshavin and Walcott. Denilson and Jack Wilshere were the defensive midfielders with Fabregas pushing further forward.



Paul Jewell took the applause of the crowd before kick-off.

On Monday, the ex-Wigan manager had been officially appointed as the successor to Roy Keane. He was not actually taking the team tonight but the sense of change could only help the 'Tractor Boys'.


Not that it appeared to be the case in the opening stages. Ipswich had been beaten 7-0 at Chelsea on Sunday and Arsenal tried to heap on further misery in the early minutes.


The visitors poured forward, particularly via Walcott on the right. However, despite their superiority, they did not create anything of substance. In fact, their the best effort came in the 10th minute when Fabregas set up Denilson to let fly from just outside the area. His drive was blocked. 
 


Jaime Peters responded with a similarly stymied shot and then Priskin fooled Johan Djourou on the left before curling a wicked shot towards the far corner. The effort drifted just wide. 
 


As the half wore on, Arsenal ran out of impetus. As their territorial dominance subsided, Ipswich started to create chances. 
 


On the half-hour, Darren O’Dea returned an Edwards cross into the area for Gareth McAuley to nod over with Szczesny stranded. 


In the 39th minute, Connor Wickham showed a flash of his quality by whipping in a delicious cross. Unfortunately for Ipswich, it was just too high for David Norris.


Just before the break, the home side had the ball in the net but Priskin was clearly offside before he crashed a wonderful overhead kick past Szczesny.


In the opening moments of the second half, Fabregas clipped another pass over the Ipswich defence for Arshavin. The ball would not come down for the Russian, who hacked his effort horribly wide.
 


But Ipswich came roaring back. Wickham outpaced Emmanuel Eboue on the left and Arsenal had to work hard to eventually clear his cross. Then Fabregas gave the ball to Mark Kennedy in the centre circle but Szczesny was alive to his long-range chip.
 


Fabregas and Bendtner played a one-two on the edge of the area but the Spaniard tried to find Wilshere rather than shoot. 
 


On the hour, Priskin worried Eboue, the final covering defender, into a mistake and went clear for a moment. But the Ivorian recovered to smother his shot sufficient for Szczesny to clear up the danger.
 


The Hungarian striker had been a thorn in Arsenal’s side all night and, in the 63rd minute, he had his clearest chance to score a legitimate goal. Peters’ long clearance flew over Laurent Koscielny and Priskin went clear. The ball would not settle for the former Watford player and Djourou rushed in to bundle the ball over the bar. However it was a heart-in-mouth moment for Arsenal.


By this time, the game was stretched. It was hardly end-to-end, neither attack was sharp enough for that this evening, however neither midfield had much of a stranglehold either.
 


Just after Kieran Gibbs cut in and fired wide, Wenger made changes. Marouane Chamakh for Bendtner, Alex Song for Wilshere. 


Almost immediately, Arsenal looked brighter. Fabregas stabbed Walcott through on the right of the area and the England winger lifted a goalbound shot over Fulop only for the keeper to thrust out a crucial hand to push the ball behind.
 


Fifteen minutes from time, Song put Gibbs into space on the left and his cross flew over Chamakh to a surprised Fabregas six yards out. The ball hit the Spaniard’s knee and flew agonisingly over the bar.


It was Arsenal’s best sight of goal all night and so it was kind of ironic that Ipswich scored immediately afterwards.


Healy angled a ball through for Priskin to collect. He managed to hold off Djourou and slid his shot into the far corner. 


Portman Road was bouncing. Arsenal were stung. 
 


In the minutes that followed Fulop made stoic saves from a Fabregas drive and Walcott’s dink.


But Ipswich may have stolen a second two minutes from the whistle when an unmarked Edwards raced clear on the right and Szczesny stood up well to repel his shot at the near post.
 


Arsenal tried to salvage the situation as the seconds ticked away. Now they will have to retrieve this tie at Emirates Stadium.


Cesc Fabregas warns Arsenal not to take 'dangerous' Ipswich lightly in semi-final tie

Captain Cesc Fabregas has warned his side cannot afford to underestimate 'dangerous' Championship strugglers Ipswich in Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final first leg at Portman Road.

Even though Arsene Wenger will again rotate his squad, the Gunners are odds-on favourites to easily dispose of the Tractor Boys - who appointed Paul Jewell as successor to Roy Keane - and reach Wembley next month as they look to secure a first piece of silverware in six seasons.

However, Fabregas, who came off the bench on Saturday to net a last-minute penalty against Leeds which kept Arsenal in the FA Cup, is in no doubt the Suffolk club will be 'motivated' to cause a major upset.

'Although Ipswich are a Championship team, that can make them even more dangerous,' the Spain international said.

'Their motivation will be very high - these will be the biggest two games of their year.


'They will be desperate to beat us, they will want to show their strengths, and their motivation will be as high as possible.

'If we want to get through we will have to match that motivation, if not raise it further.'

‘Leeds game will help us focus at Ipswich’

Arsène Wenger feels Saturday’s experience against Leeds will benefit his side ahead of Wednesday’s trip to another Championship side, Ipswich Town.

Cesc Fabregas’ last-gasp penalty spared Arsenal’s blushes in the FA Cup as a spirited and talented Leeds nearly caused a major upset at Emirates Stadium in a game the Gunners were expected to win.

Wenger’s team will again be strong favourites when they travel to Portman Road for the first leg of their Carling Cup Semi-Final, but the manager feels his players will heed the warning.

“I think the Leeds game will help us focus well at Ipswich,” said Wenger. “We will certainly be on our toes going to Ipswich.

“That game [against Leeds] has shown that against a Championship team we must be completely up for it and focused from the first minute if we don’t want to be surprised. We have been warned.

“We were certainly surprised by [Leeds’] level of commitment. The team has still shown a great reaction and refused to give up even if they had some points during the game where it was a little bit wobbly.”