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Arsenal Vs West Ham United: 5 things we learned – Hint of the future?
2. The future of the defence?
For the second cup game in succession, Calum Chambers and Rob Holding started as the two centre-halves at the heart of the Arsenal defence. For the second cup game in succession, the Gunners kept a clean sheet with great ease. That is no coincidence.
Both Chambers and Holding were excellent against West Ham. Composed at all times, decisive in their positioning, choosing the right time to press the ball and to drop off and cover the space in behind, they distributed well from deep, with Chambers especially accurate and intentional with the ball, and coped with the little that West Ham did offer.
With Laurent Koscielny now the wrong side of his prime, having shown signs of his age this year, and Per Mertesacker retiring in the summer to head up the Arsenal academy, there is a need for Wenger to address the long-term future of his centre-halves. Given Chambers and Holding’s performance on Tuesday, he may not have to look very far at all.