Arsene Wenger lamented at the end of last season that Alexis Sanchez would have to miss the Arsenal games in the first month of the new season, because of his involvement in the Copa America over the summer. Sanchez went on to win the tournament with Chile, so in fact he should really have had an even longer break to recharge his batteries.
So it was a bit of a shock when Wenger brought Alexis on from the bench in the very first game of the season (the loss to West Ham) and then played the whole 90 minutes in the following weeks win at Crystal Palace. So far, Sanchez has played six games and has registered zero goals and zero assists, and according to Opta he has squandered five clear cut chances.
Obviously he has been out of sorts, but he still scares opposing defenders. Arsene Wenger today admitted that he could have been wrong to push him into the team so early. He said: “I think I played him very early before he was completely fit, physically, that is one explanation. The second is that every player who has won a big trophy with the national team takes some while to settle and come back to his best. These are the two main explanations for me.
“Physically he is not completely ready, coming out of a big achievement and that takes time. I don’t worry for Alexis Sanchez. Even when he doesn’t score he is still a major threat for everybody and I am confident he will score very soon.”
So with Sanchez out of form, Giroud lacking in confidence in front of goal, and Walcott learning a new trade, it is with more hope than confidence that we can outscore Leicester tomorrow. Surely things (and our players) must start improving soon?