It was not just the swelling of the knee caused by Alexis Sanchez getting a heavy tackle as Arsenal struggled to beat Leicester City last week that has caused concern for Arsene Wenger this week. The Frenchman also revealed that he was a bit worried about the impact that the Chile international star was having on the game prior to picking up his injury.
Wenger was hoping that missing a few games could be just what our star man needs to rediscover the intensity that was such a big part of his game. Alexis is undoubtedly talented but it has been the amazing work rate, used in tracking back and closing players down as well as causing problems going forward that has elevated the summer signing from Barcelona into the top ranks of footballers.
The manager also alluded to the fact that this is the first time that the forward has not had a proper winter break and this could be a reason for his performance levels just dropping recently. So I wonder if the boss is going to be brave enough to give his striker that winter break by resting him again for the trip to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League next weekend.
The 67 minutes that the Chilean played against the Foxes was the only action he had seen since the Gunners beat Man City away almost a month ago, until today when he did seem to be getting back to his old self. Maybe one more week would be just what he needs and it is not as if Arsenal are short on options for the forward line.
That home clash with Monaco is a massive game for us and we could really do with our best players being available and in top condition. Should Wenger save Sanchez for that?