West Ham’s key man doubt for home derby against Chelsea
West Ham could be without key man Marko Arnautovic against Chelsea this weekend. The Austrian appeared to injure his knee and was substituted against Everton.
It was a great win for West Ham against Everton yesterday afternoon, so Pellegrini and fans should definitely all be happy. The one slight off note for the Hammers and the boss is that top scorer and reigning HOTY is again carrying a knock that caused him to be replaced in the match at Goodison.
The Austrian has scored 3 goals so far this season and has been instrumental in most of the other goals from the club this year. In fact, in 2018, Arnautovic has been directly involved in 16 EPL goals. That’s as many has Kane, Aguero and Hazard with only Salah ahead of him. How will the Hammers deal without him?
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Rest Even If Available?
Some social media messages have suggested that even if Arnie is back in with a shout of playing against Chelsea, he should be rested. The Austrian has been fighting against a number of knocks at the start of the season, and there would be some wisdom in giving him a week off in a tough match. That said, I wouldn’t want to make any changes if at all possible.
Chelsea will travel to Greece to play Thursday night, giving them a short turnaround to take on the Hammers this Sunday. With the Hammers finally picking up a win, they will be in high spirits despite the fact Sarri’s men have opened their season with a perfect 15 points. To suddenly rest Arnautovic could send a message of giving up the match, rather than challenging a potentially tired Chelsea team.
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If Arnautovic isn’t available, then Perez or Chicharito is likely to stick up front. They don’t have the strength of the Austrian and it will require a change in emphasis for the side. Perez would probably be the better option as Chicharito has been ill for the past few weeks, but there was also a question about his attitude on the bench against the Toffees. Pellegrini has a tricky week ahead of him, one that will be defined by a medical report.