Graham Potter's managerial record v Arsenal as he prepares for first West Ham game against Gunners
West Ham make the short trip to the Emirates on Saturday for a game with huge title implications.
West Ham look ahead to a first meeting with Arsenal since Graham Potter took over from Julen Lopetegui in January. The Hammers sit 16th in the table, 10 points off the relegation zone, whereas Saturday’s opponents Arsenal are embroiled in a title fight with league leaders Liverpool.
The Reds have two tough games this week against Aston Villa and Manchester City, and so Mikel Arteta will want to make sure that his Arsenal side do their job against West Ham on Saturday in order to keep the pressure on.
The Gunners come off a 2-0 win against Leicester City, whereas West Ham lost 1-0 to Brentford in what was their fourth winless Premier League game in a row under Potter. But the Hammers boss has experience playing against Arsenal in both previous Premier League jobs with Chelsea and Brighton, and with his first club Ostersund.
Potter four wins as an underdog against Arsenal
Potter’s most successful spell as a manager so far was during his time at Brighton, where he helped develop them into a challenger for European competitions in the Premier League. As a manager, Potter has faced Arsenal nine times, winning four of those games. Three of his four wins against the Gunners came during his time as Brighton boss.
Most recently was a 2-1 win in the 2021/22 season, when he saw his side beat Arsenal at the Emirates late on in the season. Goals for Brighton came from Enock Mwepu and now Gunner Leandro Trossard, whereas Martin Odegaard scored for Arsenal.
His other wins as Brighton manager include two 2-1 wins in the 2019/20 season, which was Mikel Arteta’s first year in charge of the Gunners. In both of those games, Potter played his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, much like the system that he has used at West Ham so far.
He also recorded one draw with Arsenal during his time at Brighton, meaning that his record as Seagulls boss against the Gunners is winning three, drawing one and losing twice.
His fourth win against Arsenal came whilst he was in charge of Swedish side Ostersund, when he beat the Gunners 2-1 as huge underdogs in the Europa League in the 2017/18 season.
Potter’s losses against Arsenal, including Chelsea spell
However, despite the Hammers boss’ good record against Arsenal, he wasn’t able to get the better of them every time.
He lost his first meeting with the Gunners as Ostersund manager in 2018. Although, he won his first two games against Arsenal with Brighton, he lost his third meeting 1-0 thanks to a goal from Alexandre Lacazette in the 2020/21 season.
Arsenal did the double over Brighton that season, with a 2-0 win in their second game in May, after Nicolas Pepe scored both of the Gunners’ goals at the Emirates. Potter’s fourth defeat against Arsenal (and most recent meeting), came during his time as Chelsea boss, when the Blues lost 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in November 2022, just two months into his tenure at Chelsea.
He played his 4-2-3-1 system, with defender Gabriel, scoring the only goal of the game. It leaves Potter’s record against Arsenal with four wins, four losses and a draw. His sides have scored eight goals and conceded 11 against the Gunners, collecting 13 points, with a pointer per game record of 1.44.