West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui could be planning a defensive switch to counter Arsenal’s formidable set-play ability.
Mikel Arteta’s Gooners have mastered set-pieces to perfection this season, earning a reputation as nearly unstoppable.
West Ham, in contrast, have not been as potent. However, we finally enjoyed some set-piece success against Newcastle, with Emerson’s corner expertly converted by Tomas Soucek.
At the other end of the pitch, though, the Hammers will need to be cautious. For that reason, Lopetegui might not rush Jean-Clair Todibo back from the knock that forced him off during the Irons’ 2-0 win at St James’ Park.
With Arsenal likely to launch an aerial bombardment, the West Ham boss could start former Gunner Konstantinos Mavropanos instead.
Max Kilman has made the third-most headed clearances in the Premier League this season, offering valuable protection to the defence. While Mavropanos hasn’t played enough games to rank in the top ten for headed clearances, his contested header win ratio is among the best in the league.
As such, Lopetegui may give Todibo one more game off and rely on Mavropanos to neutralise the set-piece threat posed by Arsenal’s Gabriel.
