Arsenal must control games to snap winless run: Emery

Arsenal manager Unai Emery believes it is vital for his players to start taking control of matches as they seek their first Premier League victory of the season against West Ham United tomorrow. Emery’s reign as Arsenal boss has started with consecutive defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea, leaving the club 17th in the table.Arsenal have faced criticism for surrendering possession while playing out from the back but Emery insists his players must work hard to dominate games. “My idea is control,” the Spaniard told reporters yesterday.“Control in the game — but the opposition want the same thing. I know we need intensity in every moment in the games. This control is to not let the opposition do their work, their play. For me, we didn’t have the control in our first two matches. Saturday is another match, tactically it is different. I want to have more control to find the win in this match.”Emery insists he has the upmost respect for Jack Wilshere’s ability and expects the midfielder will receive a warm welcome when he returns with West Ham. Wilshere, 26, spent 17 years with the Gunners, 10 with the first team.But despite prolonged negotiations, the England international couldn’t come to an agreement on a new deal with Arsenal before leaving as a free agent. “I spoke with him for 15 minutes here in Colney before he left,” said Emery. “The first thing for me is I have respect for his career here. And then, he chooses what the best was for him in his future. It’s for that, on Saturday, I know that here, the supporters like him and have this respect also. I think there is a good reception for him here.”Emery said he will not play with two strikers up top against West Ham, with a partnership of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made to wait a while longer. The Spaniard has so far opted to leave Lacazette on the bench in defeats against Manchester City and Chelsea – even when the Frenchman has come on, Aubameyang has switched to the flank.  Asked if he will play two strikers up front against West Ham, Emery replied: “At the moment, no. At the moment, I think we need to have the control with the possession, with the positioning on the pitch, with more players inside. And after this possession, to do the attacking moments and defending moments with this balance.” Arsenal confirmed Laurent Koscielny has returned to training three months after undergoing surgery on an Achilles tendon injury. But Emery said he is not sure when the French defender would be available for first-team action.Pellegrini urges West Ham fans to stick with playersWest Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has urged supporters to stick with their team after a losing start to the Premier League campaign. Pellegrini last weekend noted that a lot of supporters at the London Stadium had left early as West Ham let a one-goal lead slip to suffer a 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth.The Argentine moved to clarify his comments yesterday, saying the players need all the support possible as they look to claim their first points of the season at Arsenal. “It is not about how much I criticised the fans, it is how much the team needs the fans,” Pellegrini told reporters. “I perfectly understand if you are losing 4-1 or 5-1 and you have got five minutes till the game finishes, maybe you leave early to your house. But losing 2-1?“At this moment the players need everybody together, the fans, the team, the manager, the owners, everybody. Maybe the fans had a reason, but I just wanted to clarify, I feel the fans are very important to us.”Pellegrini confirmed West Ham could be without captain Mark Noble, who has not featured in training this week due to a back problem. Arsenal, like West Ham, have failed to collect points from their first two matches, and Pellegrini reckons it could be a good time to visit the Emirates Stadium.“Maybe they will be nervous, maybe they will be desperate to win their first game, so I cannot know the reaction of Arsenal’s players at the moment,” he added. “He (Emery) is a manager who has done well in Spain and in winning the UEFA Europa League and his teams always play good football, so I expect he will do the same at Arsenal.”Pellegrini has won six of his 12 meetings with Emery, with the pair having locked horns during their time in Spain’s La Liga and in the Champions League.