West Ham boss Sam Allardyce ready to copy Chelsea blue print to stop Arsenal

EPL: Big Sam was at the ­Emirates on Monday to see Jose Mourinho’s side stifle Mesut Ozil and co, and is ready to deploy the same tactics  Sam Allardyce will bid to copy the Chelsea ­blueprint for stopping Arsenal at Upton Park today.  But the West Ham boss reckons the Gunners are mounting a title challenge because they have now toughened up at the back.

The Hammers have beaten Arsenal only once at home this century – and lost the last six meetings home and away, conceding eight goals against them last season Big Sam was at the ­Emirates on Monday to see Jose Mourinho’s side stifle Mesut Ozil and co. And he reckons his relegation-threatened team can trouble the Gunners the same way.  “It was a very good plan for facing Arsenal,” he said. “A very fluent and exciting passing team really got ­nullified by Chelsea’s good tactics. And a team that bought into the tactics and worked extremely hard.