Arsenal appear to be back in form as they chase down the Champions League spots from London rivals Chelsea and Spurs. The last few matches have seen the Gunners play with renewed belief, even without talismanic midfielder Jack Wilshere and top goal scorer Theo Walcott.
West Brom, meanwhile, have been enjoying a great season under Steve Clarke, leaving them in an impressive 8th place in the league. However, it has not been all plain sailing for them this season, as witnessed at last weekend’s defeat to West Ham.
Key Battles
Olivier Giroud vs Gareth McAuley – before last weekend, Northern Irish defender Gareth McAuley, along with his defensive partners, had been in great form for the Baggies this season. However, when faced by the presence of West Ham’s Andy Carroll, they just couldn’t cope, as Carroll bagged a brace, and West Brom conceded three. If Giroud can use his strength and physical ability effectively against the defenders then he can add to the 16 goals he already has this season.
Per Mertesacker vs Romelu Lukaku – the Belgian international, on loan from Chelsea, has already scored 13 goals in the league this season, using his pace, physical presence and skill to great effectiveness. In a similar mould to former Arsenal nightmare, Drogba, Lukaku will without doubt provide the BFG with plenty of problems.
How the Baggies play
As will come with no surprise, West Brom use Romelu Lukaku as their main target man, supplying him with balls to his feet or head, where he is equally comfortable to receive the pass. However, Lukaku’s effectiveness may be slightly lost if it wasn’t for Irishman Shane Long running his socks off up front, holding up the ball and drawing defenders impressively, giving his all for the team.
The Baggies captain Chris Brunt has a magical left boot on him, which he uses to spread the play and get West Brom ticking from the middle of the park. While at the back defenders Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley and Liam Ridgewell use their physical presence to prevent any opposition’s attacks.
Where we can win the game
As mentioned earlier, Lukaku is the main danger man, who along with accomplice Long can causes defenders a lot of trouble. However, if BFG and Koscielny play as they have been playing in recent weeks together and compliment each other’s strengths and weakness then they can nullify the effect of the Baggies attackers.
Disrupting their midfielders will also be key, as James Morrison and Chris Brunt can be very dangerous on the ball, so Arteta and co will need to close them down quickly. Thankfully for Arsenal, West Brom have lost a key midfielder in Mulumbu, so this should strengthen the Gunner’s chances.
Olivier Giroud and Gervinho worked really well together last time out and hopefully they will be able to repeat this. The West Brom defenders usually very effective and thwarting attacks were woeful when faced with the big presence of Andy Carroll last week, so if Giroud uses his strength then he should be able to have the same devastating impact.
This is a must win game for Arsenal as we keep up the pressure to get a Champions League place, and with Spurs and Chelsea both having wobbles in recent weeks we cannot afford any slip ups.
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