Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 7y

Wenger: West Ham must be patient for London Stadium to feel like home

LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says West Ham will need a couple of years to get settled into the London Stadium to "build a little history."

Arsenal will make their first visit to the former Olympic Stadium on Saturday, where fans have criticised the atmosphere since West Ham's move away from Upton Park and the ground has also been beset by crowd control issues.

The Gunners were in a similar situation after leaving Highbury for the Emirates Stadium in 2006, and Wenger said both players and fans have to get used to a stadium before it feels like home.

"It's a bit like when we moved to the Emirates. You feel a bit like you're playing on neutral ground for a while," Wenger said at his news conference on Friday. "It takes a few years, because you have to make memories and build a little history.

"At Highbury, it was full of history, and suddenly you move to a stadium where nothing happened before you came in there. You feel a bit lonely there, so you have to rebuild the environment from the results that you had before.

"For the supporters it is the same: they sat every time next to the same guy, and they talk and say 'remember last time we were here, we beat this team' and then suddenly they sit away from them [in the new stadium]."

West Ham have struggled so far this season and are in 16th place in the Premier League after just two home wins. And Wenger said it takes a while even for the players to get adjusted to new surroundings.

"The players on the ground, before when you played at Highbury, you kind of had a picture," Wenger said. "When you play up front you know where the goal is, because the signals are coming from the crowd.

"You know where the adverts [boards] are and sometimes you have no time to make your decision, but you have a geographical reference when you stand on the pitch that is linked to the stadium. You have to recreate that."

Wenger had a great record at Upton Park, although last season they threw away a 2-0 lead and had to fight back for a 3-3 draw against the Hammers. The Arsenal boss said another strong start from Arsenal could help take the crowd out of the game, but warned West Ham's form has improved recently.

"They had a difficult start to the season but recently they've picked up with their quality and they played well against Tottenham and Manchester United," Wenger added. "They are difficult fixtures so overall it will be a very tight and intense game,"

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