After two months of excruciatingly painful withdrawal symptoms, Football Fancast’s relentless addiction to the English top flight has finally been satisfied by the grand opening of the 2015/16 Premier League season.
Today’s fixture list was full of fantastic match-ups as per usual – not least including Tottenham’s visit to Manchester United – but tomorrow’s affairs offer equal excitement, starting with Arsenal’s 1.30pm kick-off against West Ham.
The Gunners have certainly enjoyed the better rub of the green during recent encounters against the East Londoners. In fact, they’ve won all of their last six clashes with the Hammers, producing an aggregate scoreline of 19-4.
But could things be a little different this time around, with Slaven Bilic now in the Upton Park hotseat and West Ham spending around £25million on new signings this summer?
Perhaps a look at the FIVE key individual battles can shed some light on the issue; and give some insight into who’ll finish victorious at the Emirates.
OLIVIER GIROUD VS JAMES TOMKINS AND ANGELO OGBONNA
Slaven Bilic may be looking to take West Ham in a more progressive direction following their attritional days under Sam Allardyce but the East London outfit are still an overtly physical side, with power, strength and aggression in every department.
The Gunners, on the other hand, are amongst the least physical sides in the Premier League, so rare exception Olivier Giroud will have to assert his 6 foot 4 relentlessly if the Emirates outfit are to get their title bid off to a flyer.
The Frenchman isn’t exactly known for snide elbows and robust aerial challenges in typical English centre-forward style but his ability to hold up the ball has always been an integral component of Arsenal’s build-up play and they’ll need more of that service on Sunday.
He’ll likely be up against James Tomkins, who averaged the second-most successful aerial duels per match (4.6) of any Premier League centre-half last season and summer signing Angelo Ogbonna, who will be desperate to demonstrate the quality and experience gained from claiming back-to-back Serie A titles and regularly participating in the Champions League during his spell with Juventus.
Resultantly, Giroud can’t expect to win every ball, although his 3.7 successful aerial duels per-match from last term is certainly impressive. But he needs to occupy Tomkins and Ogbonna as much as possible, persistently challenging their power and dominance in the air, to create space for Arsenal’s potent midfield.
DIMITRI PAYET VS FRANCIS COQUELIN
It remains to be seen how Slaven Bilic plans to utilise £12million signing Dimitri Payet, having proved himself equally adept as a winger and as a No.10 during his decade in Ligue 1.
Indeed, the France international has been predominantly considered a wide man during that time period but racked up a rather incredible 17 assists in a more central role at Marseille last season, which paved the way for his Upton Park move.
But either way, as the most creative force in the Hammers squad, Francis Coquelin’s primary task on Sunday should be to keep Payet out of the game as much as possible – especially on the counter-attack.
Defending on the break has been one of the Gunners’ biggest failings in recent years but the Frenchman appeared to put an end to that last season as he forged a regular role for himself at the base of Arsenal’s midfield.
Whether the 24 year-old’s impressive form was simply a zeitgeist remains to be seen. But Arsene Wenger has placed plenty of faith in the speedy enforcer – rewarding Coquelin with a new contract in February and perhaps most importantly, not signing the big ‘n’ burly holding midfielder that much of the Arsenal fan base continue to crave – and he’ll be keen to repay it with a strong performance on the opening day of Arsenal’s campaign.
MESUT OZIL VS HIS POSITION
There’s no question that Mesut Ozil’s best performances for Arsenal – and indeed, throughout his career – have come in his preferred role of No.10; the position he finally began to look like a £42.2million player in last season after spending the first 18 months of his Emirates tenure dwindling aimlessly on the wing.
But with Alexis Sanchez out injured and the trio of Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey proving to be Arsenal’s most resilient midfield, it’s likely the German World Cup winner will start against West Ham on the left channel in consistency with his selection for the Community Shield last weekend.
Ozil’s never been much of a touchline hugger so the real challenge for him against the Hammers is finding a way of still contributing positively from that left hand-side. He’s certainly got the talent to do so but still hasn’t truly proved it since joining the north Londoners two summers ago.
Injury free, fully rested and now well acquainted with Premier League football, there’s no more excuses for the 26 year-old – this is the season where he needs to start producing the goods on a consistent basis.
DIAFRA SAKHO VS PER MERTESACKER AND LAURENT KOSCIELNY
Diafra Sakho was West Ham’s top scorer in the Premier League last season, netting ten times in 23 appearances, so with strike partners Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll both stuck in the physio room for the foreseeable future, goalscoring responsibilities will be firmly on his shoulders this Sunday.
Whether the Senegal international can sustain that one-in-two strike-rate long term remains to be seen; last season was his first ever in a top flight, having previously represented Metz and scored all of his goals for them in the French second and third tiers, and there was something suspiciously one-season-wonder-esque about his flurry of goals during the 2014/15 campaign.
That being said, Sakho offers plenty of traits that could make him a real handful for Arsenal’s tried and trusted centre-back duo Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. The former will have to concentrate on the 25 year-old’s penetrative pace, whilst the 6 foot 6 latter must ensure he doesn’t let the striker with the most headed goals in the Premier League last season out of his sight.
Despite Arsenal’s impressive end to last season, Mertesacker hasn’t quite been at the races since Germany’s World Cup triumphs in Brazil. In my opinion, he’s a weak link the Hammers could exploit.
ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN VS AARON CRESWELL
With Alexis Sanchez a serious doubt and Danny Welbeck a confirmed absentee, the Gunners will be depending upon stocky and explosive winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to stretch the West Ham backline with some lung-bursting runs on Sunday.
The 21 year-old perhaps goes a little underrated outside of the Emirates; last season he averaged 3.6 successful dribbles per match, which was only bettered throughout the Premier League by Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
Limited output is probably the England international’s lingering criticism but if his superb strike against Chelsea last weekend, securing the Gunners a second consecutive Community Shield, is anything to go by, he’ll show vast improvements in that department throughout the coming season.
That also suggests he’ll enter the West Ham clash high in confidence and strong in form, so Aaron Cresswell could have a job on to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain in check, especially with right-back Hector Bellerin proving so potent on the overlap since becoming a Gunners regular last season.
That being said, Cresswell is a force in his own right, last season picking up the second-most assists of any player in the Hammers’ squad (4) after the now-departed Stewart Downing.
With Bellerin bombing forward, Oxlade-Chamberlain will need to ensure the Spaniard is covered at all times; the Hammers’ No.3 offers lethal delivery from his left peg and has the potential to produce a match-winning cross if he’s given the time and space to do so.