Alexis Sanchez has been suffering from a patch of poor form lately with just one goal in his last 13 games and the Chilean forward has come in for some criticism after some lacklustre displays.
Sanchez is a world-class player and despite a disappointing second half of the season, he still has 19 goals in all competitions, and for his first season in English football, that is a good return. He has carried Arsenal for much of the season as injuries played a big part in their poor form and has arguably been one of the league’s best performers.
He proved how good he is in the first period of the season, yet since scoring on Boxing Day in a 2-1 win over QPR he has only found the net twice since. We all know that the Spanish and Italian leagues have winter breaks mid-season in an attempt to make players fresher and this is something of a commodity to Alexis Sanchez, the Chilean having had a winter break in every European league he’s played in apart from England, and it’s clear to see that he is in need of a rest. Arsène Wenger knows he is one of the best players at the club but there are other options within the squad and I would consider resting Alexis at Newcastle ahead of the international break where Alexis’s Chile take on Brazil at Emirates Stadium on 29th March.
One thing which has bugged me in recent weeks, after his prolific first half of the campaign, is that Alexis has been subject to criticism from his own fans- yes you heard me, some Arsenal fans are calling for his head after a below par performance in Monaco on Tuesday and it is just ridiculous. The same fans who were purring at his displays and goals in the autumn and winter are now completely turning on him.
It isn’t his fault, he loves football and after reading his background (he used to use cans as a football and he did somersaults to pay for his family), you can see he always gives 100%. However, he needs a rest for two or three games. Wenger persists on playing him, even when he was injured he wanted to play. He’s one of the best players in Europe but to return to that usual best I think he has to sit out the next couple of games in order to regain some level of freshness. Wenger just needs to tell him that he looks tired and weary on the pitch and that he should be rested ahead of much bigger games on the horizon as Arsenal host both Liverpool and Chelsea in two of their next three home games.
That might not be the only reason. Record-signing Mesut Özil returned from his injury in the same game that Alexis Sanchez last scored a goal at the Emirates Stadium, could that be a factor? Possibly, although deployed mostly in wide areas, Alexis Sanchez often tends to drift infield just as much as Özil. Both like to create something through the middle which causes congestion in the midfield while also negatively impacting the wide positions. I’m not saying they can’t both play well together, but if they can be moulded into a system where they should both stick to different roles in the team so one player plays more centrally and another accommodates a more wider position then they will compliment each other more. One will provide the assists and one will provide the finishes, which is more easier said than done of course. I believe if Sanchez is given a rest then he will recapture his form and once again fire on all cylinders.
