Arsenal-West Ham: Good, But Frankly I Blame the Coach

A London derby is always a good game. It usually contains drama, suspense and moments of magic. It was different this time around, as the Hammers came to the Emirates to battle Arsenal.

It was an interesting game; Arsenal hogged possession but simply could not create or score. West Ham did defend well but with the amount of possession they had it's hard to believe the Gunners did not score.

Arsene Wenger did play a part. Wenger decided to leave in form striker Robin van Persie on the bench and go with Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner upfront. To see Van Persie, who is Arsenal's top scorer and assister this season, left on the bench was extremely odd. If Wenger was saving van Persie for Arsenals FA Cup replay against Cardiff, it was not worth it, as Arsenal struggled for creativity.

Emmanuel Eboue again started out wide, which meant Denilson got a chance in the center of midfield; his more suited position. Eboue for once actually looked dangerous with the ball. He showed pace, balance and strength when the ball was at his feet but unfortunately when he approached the goal, his shooting was horrid.

When Eboue was brought down with a niggling injury and was forced out of the game, Carlos Vela was finally given a chance to prove himself on the wing. But Wenger opted for a 4-3-3 instead of playing Nasri on the right and Vela on the left.

The formation changed meant Bendtner was forced into more of a winger role, which did not suit the lanky Dane. Bendtner was probably the best forward so when van Persie was finally thrown into the fray it was a surprise to see Bendtner return to his normal role, bench, and not Adebayor who had been out of form all game.

Emmanuel Adebayor wasted a good deal of chances which you feel if taken Arsenal would of taken their play to a whole new level. Adebayors heading was off as was his touch and shot.

To be fair, West Ham were very strong in defence despite Arsenals huge amount of possesion. A disappointing result as it could of proved useful as Aston Villa drew with Wigan.