To get the lowdown on Albion’s opponents tonight Arsenal, I spoke to Matt Dawson who is Football writer for Football FanCast and an Arsenal fan:

What did you make of the decision to sack Unai Emery?

This was absolutely the right decision.

Unai Emery’s tenure started in impressive fashion, embarking on a lengthy unbeaten run after initial defeats to City and Chelsea but despite looking competent, the wheels eventually came off.

He wasn’t the right fit for the club and he simply didn’t suit Arsenal’s philosophies of attacking football.

There are bigger problems at the Gunners than Emery but sacking him is certainly a good start.

What have you made of Arsenal’s start to the season?

In short, absolutely terrible. Arsenal haven’t won for eight games and their last victory was over a month ago.

This is one of the most troubled sides I’ve seen in north London and there is no instant fix, no matter how good the manager is that comes in.

The defensive problems have seemingly got worse and there is no link between the midfield and attack.

There are some massive issues to address which have somehow got worse since Arsene Wenger left.

Who would you like to see in charge?

This is a difficult question. I’d quite like to see what Mikel Arteta could do in the hot seat but it would be a considerable risk to appoint someone with no managerial experience.

The Argus:

The number one pick for me would probably be Max Allegri.

Whether Arsenal can lure a manager of that pedigree to the Emirates, however, is another question.

How do Arsenal turn their season around?

Hiring a manager with pedigree would be a good start.

Beyond that, the defence clearly needs addressing. Arsenal’s attack is exceptional on their day and once Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang start clicking it could be frightening.

With that in mind, if there is anything to spend in January, it must go towards rebuilding the backline, David Luiz wasn’t enough last summer.