OPINION
Manuel Pellegrini must ignore the fact that West Ham attacker Marko Arnautovic is reportedly available for Wednesday’s clash with Tottenham in the EFL Cup.
Reliable Hammers insider ExWHUemployee shared on Twitter that the 29-year-old forward could potentially feature against Spurs on Halloween night as he will be available despite missing his side’s clash with Leicester City.
He could do yes! He is available https://t.co/t8edDYepqm
— ExWHUEmployee (@ExWHUEmployee) October 31, 2018
Arnautovic is head and shoulders above the Hammers’ other attacking options, when it comes to finding a player to lead the line, and he has the skillset needed to give Tottenham a fright.
Spurs would definitely be less confident of their chances of overcoming the Hammers on Wednesday if they saw Arnautovic’s name on their opponents teamsheet.
This is the case even though the lethal finisher has failed to score against Spurs during his side’s recent league meeting with them at the London Stadium.
Therefore it is a boost for Pellegrini that he potentially has the attacker to call upon, however he must ignore the fact he is available at least when it comes to his starting line-up as he should try to rest him if he can.
While it would be amazing for the Hammers to defeat Spurs on Wednesday and progress in the EFL Cup, as it’s potentially a winnable trophy for them, it’s still more important the club prioritise getting results in the Premier League.
The Hammers are capable of defeating Spurs without their star man on Wednesday, especially as Mauricio Pochettino will likely rest some of his stars, so Arnautovic can be afforded a break.
It would be a terrible situation if Arnautovic picked up a knock or suffered set-back during Wednesday’s game, when he doesn’t really need to play, and Pellegrini shouldn’t take a risk with him considering he wasn’t deemed fit enough to feature against the Foxes.
Therefore while the Hammers are boosted by the availability of Arnautovic, Pellegrini must ignore the good news despite the damage he could potentially do to Spurs.
