Can Arsenal match the ambition of Alexis? By Galen.
When I think of Alexis Sanchez I think of the word “winner”. Maybe I am a biased Arsenal fan, but is Hazard really as far from Sanchez as the media make it out to be? I have watched videos and games and looked at statistics and Sanchez has just been incredible. Did Sanchez miss out on Player of the Year because of the Title? Sanchez clearly wants to win, be it in training and during games but he needs help and support to take this team to the next level. A day before the FA Cup final he said “It has been a positive season but I have still got ambitions to win more,” . “I would like to be closer to winning the Premier League title and get further in the Champions League. Every time I play I do it with the same motivation. I want the team to grow more and to compete in every competition we play.” After our FA cup win our players celebrated and talked about the great season we have had. Sanchez on the other hand has called the season a “disappointment”. Sanchez must have watched his Barcelona mates win the treble and think we can do that at Arsenal.
Sanchez is clearly a winner, but like all top players if the ambition of the team doesn’t match their ambition they will go to other teams. Top players want to win trophies. We may call them money grabbers and stuff like that but they want to WIN. Many top Arsenal players have left us in the past. From the King To Judas.
This is a very strange summer for Arsenal because it is the first time pundits are actually saying that Arsenal will challenge for the title. On Breathe football Gary Lineker said: “With a few additions Arsenal will be the main title challengers to Chelsea”. Jose Mourinho said on BT Sport “I believe they Arsenal have a top manager, I’m not making fun here. They will be even harder to beat next season. They will challenge us for the title.”
Now the big question comes? Can Arsenal Handle the pressure? This is probably the first season Arsenal will go into without people mentioning the 4th place trophy. For the first time pundits and fans are seeing Arsenal differently. Like Wenger said: “you can feel the vibe coming from the team”. Can this team handle the pressure and match the ambitions of players like Sanchez?
Former Arsenal captain Patrick Viera spoke about the Gunners pressure in 2011 when he said: “When they are in trouble, they always concede a goal. A big team when it’s under pressure, it pulls together, it makes the trouble go away,”
“Sometimes you know you have diffcult periods, even the best teams. You accept the opponent is stronger, you defend, you stay strong, more compact. You accept you have to suffer. They play the best football in the last few years, But playing the best football and not winning, that must be so frustrating.”
According to another former Arsenal player Paul Merson: “When the pressure is off and you can’t win the league, football is a completely different game, When you have to go into a game when you’re top of the league or chasing teams down, the pressure is different.
“I’m sorry but, when the pressure is on, they don’t perform, and when it’s off they are the best team in the country.” is Merson Right?
Have we actually improved? Or did we have a good run because there was no pressure? Pundits say our points difference from 2013/2014 season was better than that of 2014/2015. Next season, fans will genuinely expect Arsenal to challenge from Day One until the last day – and do better than round of 16 in the Champions league. Can our players handle the pressure and match the Ambition of Alexis?
By Galen.