The Arsenal and Chile international star is almost always among the best performers in the Arsenal side and is very rarely criticised, but he was roundly and quite rightly questioned by us fans as well as the football press after his lacklustre and ineffective showing away to Chelsea last weekend.
Some people have suggested that his heart was not in it but that does not sound like the Alexis we all know and love at all, as his burning desire to win is one of the most notable aspects of his game. Could it not simply be that striker is feeling the effects of a tough and testing season so far?
I remember Arsene Wenger talking about wanting to give him a personal winter break in order to keep him fresh and reduce the risk of an injury but as things worked out Arsenal needed him and he certainly did not get anything like a week or two off.
With the Gunners out of the EPL title race we could really do with the boost of beating Bayern Munich and getting into the quarter-finals for the first time in years, so perhaps now would be the perfect time to give Sanchez a little rest to recharge his batteries. He did look both mentally and physically jaded to me at Stamford Bridge and we do have plenty of options up front, with the likes of Lucas Perez, Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud fit and keen to play.
Time to pull Alexis out of the firing line for a week or so do you think?
Bob.
Rather than resting him for Bayern, how about benching him against Bayern?
I would pay Alexis to sign for us another deal. He is relentless. That’s his quality. But in the same time, to be one hundred percent fair, he was never playing for the team. Always he played for himself. I don’t care about that as long as he scores or create chances. But when the most logical and simple thing to do is a simple pass instead of keeping the ball and losing it one second later then you wonder why no one is having a chat with him. Afterall, this is a team sport.
BTW, I would be very surprised if he will be at Arsenal after next summer.
that’s Alexis’ play style, he was the same at Barcelona, and a lot of south americans play the same way. Europe focuses more on passing than South America, which is more about flair and expression. It’s what makes Alexis a great player, and it’s why South Americans have consistently produced some of the best players to ever play the game. It’s crazy how everyone has turned against Alexis after the Chelsea game. I’ll admit he was extra selfish that game, and I’m not aiming this at you, but in general I’ve seen people having a go at Alexis as if he’s done nothing this whole season. Truth is, we’d be 10-12th place without him, and that’s undeniable, and also is a huge problem for Arsenal.
I am not denying that, I just state a fact. When you are a selfish player and you have a day off then people will tell you that you are garbage no matter how committed you were. That’s why I said I would sign Alexis anyway. To me, his work rate (except Chelsea game) is more than enough to have him here.