In-form Gervinho and Europa League-occupied rivals boost Arsenal’s chances of snatching 4th spot

The race for the 3^rd and 4^th spots in the EPL heats up as Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal line up for tough fixtures after another gruelling Europa League week for the former two teams. To make matters worse for Arsenal’s local rivals and 4^thplaced Spurs, Gareth Bale was stretchered off late in the game against Basel. And with Defoe, Lennon, Lloris and Assou-Ekkotu also picking up knocks, AVB’s men are certain to drop more points. Chelsea have had a torrid time in the EPL of late and now have the task of facing Paolo di Canio on his return to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Arsenal might have the easiest of the 3 fixtures as they take on West Brom at the Hawthorns. Wenger’s typical complains at this part of the season come from his injury worries due to fixture congestions. But this time around, Arsenal do not appear to be in tatters in that regard, though in the more logical sense it shows that the club is no longer competing in the other tournaments.

Team News

Last year, Arsenal’s amazing run at this time of the year coincided with the revival of a certain Tomas Rosisky, of course along with the run that RVP had going. This year, Rosisky has missed much of the season till February and his return to play has not been particularly sharp. But still Wenger seems to have another revival this time around; a player who was being called one of his worst signings ever, Yao Gervinho has broken free of his shackles and has now put in 3 impressive performances on the run.

West Brom on the other hand are having a fantastic season and are currently placed at 8^th, and Steve Clark will be at his element back at home after last week’s away loss to West Ham. Influential midfielder Yousuf Mulumbu was sent off late in that game which incidentally became the Baggies’ first red card of the season, and Peter Odemwengie is again having disciplinary problems with the club’s board over his remarks on Twitter. James Morrison will be expected to return from a minor hamstring injury.

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Expected lineup:

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Mertersacker, Koscienly, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla, Gervinho, Podolski, Giroud

West Brom: Forster, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Yacob,Rosenburg, Morrison, Dorrans, Brunt, Lukaku

Tactics board

Wenger will be missing Wilshere and Walcott for this game as the duo are not yet match fit. This call from the Frenchman is going to affect the game dynamically as this would bring the pair of Podolski and Gervinho to the fore on the wings. Cazorla was deployed on the left against Reading, but with Podolski fit now, Santi will come back to his preferred No.10 role.

Change in wing-play: Direct Wingers Gervinho and Podolski

In Podolski and Gervinho, Arsenal have a typically different breed of wingers. Gervinho’s career at Arsenal so far has seen him follow a very monotonous tactic of cutting past the fullback and rushing to the touchline and then trying to slide it to the near post. But the Ivorian was seen in a different role since the Bayern Munich game.

Gervinho has now started coming much more central in the game, and this sees him dribbling past the fullback/centre-back in to the middle rather than outside. Moreover, his first touch on the ball has improved vastly since the AFCON earlier this year. Against Reading, he showed some superb touches in midfield as well as in Reading’s box.

Speed is definitely one of his virtues, and he, unlike Walcott, is a player who tends to increase his speed much more when on the ball rather than off it. With this virtue working along with his central runs, he will definitely pose a threat to Claudio Yacob and Olsson in the centre of Clark’s defense.

Podolski on the other hand had gone missing a lot in the past month after having a good couple of months. Interestingly, this period coincided with Kieran Gibbs’ absence from the left back spot. The duo had created an impressive understanding on the left flank with Gibbs overlapping in attack while Podolski drifted in much more central with Cazorla. Similarly, while tracking back, Podolski tended to stick to the player on the wing while Gibbs sat much narrower on the attacking player.

West Brom’s midfield: Yacob and Morrison to handle Arsenal’s two Spaniards

Steve Clark will have to alter his team from the last game due to Mulumbu’s suspension as well as the need to match Arsenal’s trio in midfield. This will bring in youngster Marcus Rosenburg and James Morrison alongside Yacob. Claudio Yacob started the season brilliantly for the Baggies and, at a point of time, was the most successful CDM in term of tackles. Now he will be against one of the best No. 10’s in the league and the Argentine will surely be severely tested.

Considering this fact, Rosenburg’s selection looks strong as the teenager tends to stay much deeper in midfield and prefers a distributor role. This will leave James Morrison with the license to rush forward in attack and supplement Lukaku. Yacob’s opposite number is Mikel Arteta, whom Wenger describes as a complete midfielder. Arteta covers both of Yacob’s and Rosenburg’s above mentioned jobs, but obviously with a highly visible flaw.

Lukaku will be ready from the onset to take advantage of this lack of physicality from Arteta, and will stay on the Spaniard for all the long balls. This leaves Morrison and Dorrans on the right to charge in at the now exposed defense.

PIE’S Call

On paper, this looks an easy victory for the Gunners as their front 4 have been in scoring form. West Brom will need big performances from their captain Chris Brunt on the left and Claudio Yacob to avoid an embarrassment. Steve Clark’s intention from this game would be visible from his team selection regarding Shane Long and Odemwengie. But playing either of this 2 could mean surrendering the midfield to Arsenal.

Prediction: Arsenal 3- 1 West Brom

Players to watch out: Gervinho, James Morrison