Kouyate is the top tackler in the West Ham side as you can see from the Squawka.com chart and he gives them huge energy as well in the centre of the pitch, so he would have been a big miss for the Hammers on Saturday.
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Bilic is delighted to have Cheikhou Kouyate available for the Arsenal match after the Football Association rescinded the West Ham midfielder’s red card. I didn’t know that, and it shows we approach each match game by game.
The 26-year-old was sent off during the second half of Saturday’s 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw at Upton Park, but has successfully appealed the decision. “You have a whole lot of different reasons (for it happening), because your injured players come back like (Danny) Welbeck and because of the emergence of players like Iwobi”. 19 when the game looked won, supporters have been bemoaning the number of decisions that have gone against them throughout the campaign. Since his arrival, Arsenal’s defence have been in a very great form. “It was a great game”. Paulista, is a great defender but when compared to Mertesacker in terms of aerial abilities, he is nowhere near him.
The Gunners put Watford to the sword last Saturday, avenging their FA Cup quarterfinal defeat with a 4-0 romp.
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The former Celtic manager has also backed Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck to score the goals for Arsenal. Below in midtable there are a host of clubs with 10 or 11 draws and this is no surprise; it is normally the number of drawn games that dictates the presence of a team sitting comfortably in the middle of the league. – Olivier Giroud has found the net five times in six Premier League games against West Ham; but just one of these has been netted at the Boleyn Ground.
