3 reasons for Arsenal to believe in a final-day miracle
- Arsenal are two points off Manchester City heading into the final day.
- A West Ham result at the Etihad Stadium could win Arsenal the title.
- The Gunners must beat Everton to keep their Premier League dream alive.
By Kenneth Daly
3. They have the talent to shock
Aside from emotional blackmail and omens, West Ham might actually have the players/system to pull off an upset.
For a start, they should fare better than most with City domination as Moyes is happy to let the opposition dictate play, often responding by sitting deep, soaking up pressure and hitting back on the counter- demonstrated via their 25% possession in the aforementioned Arsenal win.
Then up top, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus are quick enough to exploit the space in behind, while Lucas Paqueta and James Ward-Prowse offer the technical quality to resist the press and pick out defence-splitting passes.
The task before them remains steep, and the Hammers backline (15 goals conceded in their last five matches) does not fuel optimism for a shock result. But sometimes the unthinkable happens (right?) and City nerves may dangle if the visitors can stay in the game.
I’ve almost managed to convince myself!