Even though Alexis Sanchez has just returned to north London after an energy sapping return trip to South America where he played one home game for Chile and the other World Cup qualifier in Bolivia, you would expect Arsene Wenger top make the striker one of the first names on the team list to face AFC Bournemouth at the Emirates stadium this weekend.
I have a sneaking feeling, though, that the Chilean could be on the subs bench at the start of our latest Premier League match. There is a good chance, after all, that the mind of Alexis is not quite in the right place after all the transfer saga during the summer which ended with the collapse of his proposed move to Man City on deadline day.
Not only that, but the 28-year old is not in good form and so far in the one club game against Liverpool and the two games for Chile Alexis has been a shadow of the player we know he can be. There is even the suggestion that Sanchez is not even fully fit, with a The Mirror reporting that a former member of the Chilean coaching staff has blasted the Arsenal striker for his fitness levels and condition.
Jose Sulantay said, “I saw him gone. I saw him out of physical shape, totally. He’s fatter than normal.”
Normally you would want Sanchez on the pitch even if he was not fully fit but with his poor form and questions over his frame of mind, would it not be better to leave him on the bench and use him as an impact sub if needed?
D.N.