Second Half Analysis
West Ham were much more threatening in the second half. Initially, their best opportunities stemmed from set pieces but as the half wore on, they began to carve out chances in open play. The key difference in the second half was the wingers Jarvis and Vaz Te were much higher up the pitch as was Nolan as he sought to support Carroll. This pushed the Arsenal full backs deeper and Jenkinson in particular was quiet during the second half.
Carroll continued to dominate in the air and now the likes of Kevin Nolan was foraging off the scraps, breaking forward and presenting the Arsenal defence with new problems.
With West Ham pushing up, the game became more open, ideal for someone like Theo Walcott to arrive from the bench and stretch the game further.
Arsenal Take the Lead
The second goal for Arsenal was a quick counter attack stemming from a West Ham attack led by Mohammed Diame. Diame initially did very well to evade Arteta on the left and break down towards the goal line. With four West Ham players in the area to pick out, Diame’s poorly executed cross was blocked by Mertesacker. The loose ball was collected by Walcott, level with his own penalty area. A simple pass to Cazorla led to Giroud receiving the ball as he broke into the West Ham half of the pitch. The Frenchman fed Walcott on the right before he cut in and stroked the ball past Jaaskelainen.
The disappointing aspect from a West Ham perspective will be the ease with which Arsenal broke forward from a very promising attack. Diame needlessly conceded possession when there were options available. Furthermore, again no player tracked Walcott as he moved forward on the right. Given his pace and freshness, having been on the field of play for just 16 minutes, any player tracking Walcott would have struggled but nobody was close. He left McCartney behind.
Could Carroll hinder West Ham?
The performance of Andy Carroll on Saturday may provide optimism amongst Hammers fans for the season ahead but does this need to be tempered and a balance struck?
The table below highlights a few key aspects of his performance on Saturday.
Carroll was dominant aerially and was unfortunate not to score when Mannone flapped at a cross in the second half. When support began to circle around him, his ability to win the ball and lay it off enabled West Ham to progress up field. He also aided West Ham considerably in the defensive side of the game with 7 headed clearances in his own penalty area.
Is the reliance upon his aerial ability to the detriment of West Ham? Mark Noble was very quiet during the game. Was this due to Arsenal’s quality in the midfield area or was it due to West Ham going direct so often in the game and bypassing their own midfield?
Noble made the fewest passes in any game he has played this season and his accuracy was also lower. He also made a far higher percentage of his passes forward, 18 passes (50%) were played forward. With just 46 touches of the ball, Noble had his fewest touches of the season to date.
West Ham need a player of Noble’s ability to be on the ball and helping them create openings. Does the tendency to launch the ball towards Carroll bypass Noble’s ability? Or was this a one off due to Arsenal seeking to dominate possession?
Either way, West Ham need both players performing to move up the table.
Santiago Cazorla Gonzalez
[quote]He is our conductor
Theo Walcott[/quote]
The comment from Theo Walcott above accurately reflects the role of Cazorla for Arsenal. Despite arriving with two European Championship winners medals in his back pocket alongside 46 international caps for Spain , the impact of Cazorla on the Premiership appears to have surprised some commentators. Just a few weeks ago, Niall Quinn memorably commented that no one had heard anything about Cazorla before he came to Arsenal.
The man from Asturias in Northern Spain has had an immediate impact for Arsenal and the most surprising aspect of Saturday’s game was the manner in which West Ham let him dictate the game. Cazorla repeatedly found time and space to receive and pass the ball.
Cazorla is the archetypical Spanish player. Diminutive and superb technically, what perhaps sets Cazorla apart is his propensity to shoot from distance. At international level, too often the Spanish will pick another pass or take an additional touch. Cazorla is more direct. Teams don’t seem to have recognised yet that when space presents itself, he will drive forwards towards goal and shoot. That element of selfishness is a quality lacking in some other players which will help Cazorla to flourish in the Premiership.
Arsenal’s third goal was an example of this. Cazorla received the ball in space and despite passing options open to him,shot for goal. This was his 6th shot at goal during the game. West Ham failed to learn their lesson.
Nearly all of Cazorla’s work occurs in the opposition half of the pitch. Yet he is not a lightweight player who shirks his defensive duties. His ability to undertake the dirtier side of the game merely adds to his all round quality.
[quote]It is a pleasure to watch him. It’s a delight to see what he did on the pitch.
Arsene Wenger[/quote]
Conclusions
[quote]We did really, really well and, of course, needed to finish the chances when we got them.
Sam Allardyce[/quote]
There is undoubtedly a great deal of truth in the statement from Sam Allardyce following the game. West Ham, did create numerous chances in the second half and really should have taken at least one of them. It would be a considerable surprise if the Hammers were to find themselves around the relegation zone as the season drew to a conclusion.
For Arsenal, the trajectory upwards continues and they find themselves in 7th position. Wenger maintains there is a belief in the camp that a challenge can be mounted for the title. Too often in recent seasons, Arsenal fans have had little to sing about at the season draws to a close. Maybe the conductor will have Arsenal signing to a different tune at the end of this season.
