Here are 11 things you should know about West Ham and Arsenal before this afternoons kick-off:
1. A flying start from Matt Jarvis helped propel West Ham towards an eventual 2-1 victory last time out against QPR. A further goal from Ricardo Vaz Te helped the Hammers to their first away win of the season, a win defined by their impressive work rate and movement.
2. Carlton Cole has been throwing himself into his defensive work with some energy this season, yet unfortunately it has been a little misdirected. Not only has he lost out in 94% of his 16 challenges this season, he’s also conceded 15 fouls along the way.
3. James Collins has been putting his body on the line for the West Ham cause so far this season. He amassed nine blocks so far, placing him second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
4. Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin didn’t play in their last game, which means Mark Noble has now taken top spot for most distance covered this season. Noble has covered 39.88 miles in six games, and has covered more ground than any other West Ham player in all six matches. No other player has top his team’s distance charts for every game so far this season.
5. Noble is joined in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index top ten for distance covered by captain Kevin Nolan, who is in 7th having covered 36.44 miles. That makes West Ham one of only three teams to have two players featured, alongside Arsenal and Liverpool.
6. Arsenal were beaten 2-1 at The Emirates by Chelsea last weekend, despite yet another encouraging performance from The Gunners. The continually improving Gervinho fired in just before the break, but some slightly awkward defending again cost Arsenal on a day when they probably should have come away with more.
7. Santi Cazorla has been getting himself into some fantastic positions in front of goal for Arsenal this season, yet could do with improving his accuracy in trying to find the net. He’s been off target with 50% of his 22 attempts on goal so far this season.
8. The Spaniard’s continual impact on Arsenal’s fluidity can’t be faulted though. He’s racked up 277 so far this season, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
9. Gervinho’s accuracy has definitely been key to his finishing for Arsenal in recent weeks. Whilst he’s missed the target on more than a few occasions, when he does get it right he almost always works the keeper. He’s scored three times from four on target attempts.
10. Mikel Arteta’s passing has been crucial to the smooth functioning of the Arsenal midfield so far this campaign, yet his defending has been slightly less solid. He’s conceded 13 fouls and has only a 46% tackle success rate.
11. Kieran Gibbs continues to be in rare form for Arsenal at left-back. He is second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for successful tackles with 21, giving him an overall 84% success rate.
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