The chant went up almost as soon as the game kicked off: “Alexis Sánchez, he wants to be blue.” This much seems to be true, though here was an awkward situation for the Chilean forward. Not quite in the shop window, as some would have it, because Manchester City are already known to be admirers. They would have signed him up by now, had Arsenal allowed it, and to say the player was frustrated by the non-events of the summer would be understating the case by quite a distance.
Sánchez has made his point on several occasions, yet this was not a time for the strop or the pained expression. Playing at the home of potential employers, Sánchez was content to let Mesut Özil do most of the grimacing, though he was clearly not enjoying watching City’s passing exhibition while barely an Arsenal pass of note was being aimed in his direction. What Sánchez had to do was look professional, and if possible lethal, just in case Pep Guardiola was beginning to think he no longer needs him.
Related: Gabriel Jesus strikes from the bench as rampant Manchester City see off Arsenal
Continue reading...