Should Arnie walk straight back into the side?

There's a strong case for fielding an unchanged side against Crystal Palace tomorrow. Marko Arnautovic might be our best and most physical striker, but after a fine performance against Liverpool it would send out a message that if you play well you stay in, by fielding an unchanged side. 

Javier Hernandez worked hard and did well early on against Liverpool, firing just wide and producing a good save from Alisson, while Antonio was tireless throughout and took his goal well. A little humility would also be good for Arnie. I'm sure he will be needed at some stage to offer some physical threat to Tomkins and Sakho, but I'd play the same side for the first half at least. 

Meanwhile I'm a little worried by the immutable law of the ex at Palace. Assuming that Tomkins and Kouyate will both score against us, and that Batshuayi will also inevitably score as we failed to sign him on loan, we're going to have to score four to win!

How do we solve a problem called Chicharito?

Looking at David Moyes' comments in the Evening Standard it seems that he still regards Javier Hernandez as an alternative to Arnautovic as a lone striker and a great player to come on and nick a goal. It proved effective at Chelsea where Javier netted his eighth goal of the season, but the problem is Chicharito has a big ego and wants to start, so he could well be off in the summer. Having waited years to sign a natural striker it seems careless to allow one to leave. 

Moyes points out that Arnie and Chicharito both started against Swansea and that didn't go well. But in the Watford home match it seemed to work, and we really need to try to work on a system that gets them both in the same side. Moyes was clearly happier with two strikers who worked really hard up front in Antonio and Arnie earlier in the season, but Chicharito has also added workrate to his game this season. 

Perhaps the key is both surviving and then playing four at the back next season once some better players are signed. If we let him go there would be a lot of rivals after Chicharito's signature and no team does well without a natural poacher.

LA shelling out for Little Pea?

Tonight's Evening Standard reports that new MLS club Los Angeles FC is interested in signing Javier Hernandez, though West Ham would want to recoup his £16m fee. Now Hernandez might not be in the starting line-up regularly, but I'd rather see him stay until the summer. It's taken us years to recruit a proven goalscorer so it would be a mistake to ditch Chicharito so early. Hernandez isn't Moyes' sort of player — he clearly prefers Arnautovic and Antonio working and pressing up front. But Hernandez is a very useful option to have coming off the bench. 

Javier's body language didn't look great against Spurs and Shrewsbury (in fact he looked a Little Pead off) but we do know that if he gets a chance in the box he's likely to bury it. While the possible combination of Carroll and Hernandez is as yet untested. If West Ham also sell Sakho it would leave the club relying on a converted winger in Arnautovic, the erratic Ayew and the injury-prone Antonio and Carroll. With Premier League survival at stake we need goalscorers like Hernandez.