Should Arsenal drop Alexis for Man City clash?

Every Arsenal fan knows that Alexis Sanchez didn’t play for us at the beginning of the season because he had a cold and wasn’t fit (I mean he was waiting for his transfer to Manchester City to be confirmed), and when it didn’t happen he has seemed a shadow of his normal self, leading readers like me questioning the wisdom of not cashing in on him while we had the chance.

Let’s take a quick look at the facts. In 36 League starts last season, Alexis scored 24 goals. That is 2 goals in every 3 games. This season, he has had 7 EPL starts (plus 2 as sub) and his only goal was in the last minute at Everton when the game was already well and truly put to bed. Nacho Monreal has scored more!

We all thought our superbest striking line-up of Alexis, Ozil and Lacazette were the real deal when we demolished Everton, but in their second start together, against Swansea, they were all practically anonymous! What’s that all about? But Wenger does not think that Alexis is playing any worse this season. “He runs after a goal at the moment so he’s a bit frustrated when he doesn’t score, like all goalscorers,” Le Prof said. “I’m not worried about it. He works hard and it will come back quickly. You can never try too hard. At the moment he’s marked well, they double up on him, but he still creates many dangerous situations and the goal – he just has not to worry too much. I know you always say that to strikers and they still worry but over a longer period he has always scored and that will come back.”

So Wenger doesn’t think that Sanchez has been mentally affected by his summer-of-hell and has lost a bit of desire to play for Arsenal? “I am not concerned,” Wenger said. “because I am not suspicious of the performances or the desire to win of a football player,”

“When you are a football player, you have a social contract with the rest of the team and I never question that. Once you don’t respect that, it’s difficult to say that you play football.”

Well, okay he may NOT be affected by the never-ending Man City rumours (yeah right!), but he is certainly not on top form, so perhaps he should have a game on the bench to focus his mind a little anyway. I seem to remember playing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Liverpool, and we all know how that turned out don’t we?

Darren N

17 Comments

  1. im sorry if i am being a pessimist..but mancity are coming…do u see that attack..last season everyone was laughing at guardiola but the man was working behind the scenes..look at the rise of players like sterling and u c their manager is a genius,hes not sentimental,he gives the fans trophies and still good football..m scared

    1. additionally he spends alot and he only joins clubs with several quality players and the ability to spend….

      Barcelona, Bayern and now City

      Would love to see Pep win titles with Everton or Swansea

      1. Sorry, why should he go to everton, swansea to prove he is a good manager. Why hasn’t wenger gone to those clubs? Wenger would be terrible in those clubs because quality players make the difference and most of the time they cost a lot of money. Its a choice, you want to win?, then you need quality players, so you have to spend, its simple logic. It is wenger and the board’s choice to always leave our team short of the quality needed to properly challenge, its not pep’s fault he needed to spend a lot of money when he had a lot of ageing defenders. You talk like you wouldn’t take pep in a heart beat over wenger.

        1. Arsene does better on a budget than most managers, I’d say if he had Eve they would be more known than they are now. I’d say that they’d have some cups and top four finishes before Chelsea or City made a move.

  2. Playing Alexis is the better option, as he’s still our best player, and if he still wants to play for City then he’ll want, and have to put in a WC performance to impress Pep, because of how well the likes of Jesus, Sane, and Sterling are playing. Given their ages, and form, they’re the future, not Alexis who is almost 30. City wanted him during the summer, but things can change, and I can’t see why they’d even go for Alexis now that they’re playing so well. How could they fit him in, without upsetting other players?

  3. No, NOT Sanchez. We should leave OZIL on the bench while we do the parking of the bus. A draw would be an excellent result. And we could always bring Ozil on if we have to chase the game. To leave out Sanchez would be madness – our best player by a distance.

  4. we should play a front 3 of Giroud, Lacazette and Ozil against City. Sanchez can come in as a substitute. 3412 formation. Quick counter attacking and long balls from Xhaka and our wing backs.Man City will go all out. we need to play closely and raise the tempo of our game. Play long for Giroud to chase and Lacazette playing close to him. We have a chance against Man City. Sanchez can come in the the second half. Xhaka and Ramsey should have that discipline and cohesion.

    1. Attack wise I see your point, but defensively we will be fighting fires too close to our own goal and it’ll be throughout much of the game. We have Tott the following game. We need to turn up over these weeks, we’ve already fallen behind so I expect everyone of us to fight for every loose ball no exceptions. I expect our strikers to get some chances and they better darned be ready to ripple that net.

  5. I’d like our best team out there so for me that does include Sanchez. If he’s not up for it then sub him at half time

  6. Enough of hat non sense, we need best team and in form players as Ozil to face the beats Man City. Our defense, midfield must be at their best and let Ozil Lacazette and Sanchez handle goals and attacks. Hope Sead be available, it is gonna be war and he is our best warrior since Sanchez been confused…Remember how Guardiala does, takes player to make team he fears weaker, then most of these players fade. away.. Where do Sanchez fits in that Man City team? take Sané’s spot? Hope he realized, this Man City distraction and trick already ruins him this year,…

    1. I also do not see how Sanchez, at his age will improve team SPIRIT, should he go to City. You can have too many good players, all worthy of a regular starting role but only eleven can play. There is a fine balance between having too few players to cover each position and having too many. Of course we at Arenal have had NO players at all worthy of being a top CDM, since Gilberto left almost a disgracefully long decade ago. I WOULD RATHER HAVE CITYS PROBLEM but under Wenger it will always be too few good starters , never too many.

  7. No, of course we should play Lex, the only thing I’m worried about is our invincible’s record. I can’t see anyone beating this present City side.

  8. I think it would be right to make a statement by not playing him. Not just to show Sanchez it is a matter of principle, but also to show the rest of the team that if there is any doubt about commitment, you won’t play.
    It could of course hurt us in the match against City, if we think Sanchez will actually give 100%, and that would actually be decisive in getting something from the match. But long term it would be a valuable statement.

  9. Get his behind on the field and he must get focused now and get out of that transfer trick he got trapped in…Guardiala doesn’t need him as in Barca he used to banched him to a point no one really knew him..;He has developed well, team fear us with him, now they happy to see him lost in that non sense…That’ should teach him a lesson and his ass to run twice more!

  10. I am surprised how many fans have this notion that because he wants to move HE SHOULD NOT PLAY.
    Wrong again. Put your best players on the field and by far Sanchez belongs there. If you are going to have any chance beating City it will be with a group that can offer some threat to their back line.
    City will score no matter what. Arsenal will have to offer some potential to score or it may be a blood bath again.

  11. If they are doubling up on Alexis it creates space for others. I wouldn’t worry too much about it because he does always look dangerous. I think we’ve been too careful with Alexis Ozil and Lacazette, they need to play together for as many full 90 minutes as possible. The end of a game we are winning in usually gives us some late chances but Wenger keeps taking off our best finisher. So just bloody play them and the goals for Lacazette and Alexis will come.

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