The Chilean, dropped for the crunch fixture against Liverpool, threatens to be the latest in long line of false dawns under Arsène WengerThe same again, but this time with more angst. Arsenal lost again away from home to a top-six side and again looked flat and brittle. The difference this season is that there are six sides with genuine hopes of taking the four Champions League qualification berths and, worse, that the future of Arsenal’s two most expensive signings, the players on whose presence fans have built their dreams of progress, looks increasingly uncertain.How big a loss Mesut Özil would be is debatable, so much so that it is not immediately clear which other European club who could afford him...
The workaholic Chilean forward has cut a brooding figure recently but finds comfort in the positive vibrations of his labradors Atom and HumberWith 11 minutes to play at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, the fourth official held up a board bearing the numbers 23 and seven. Danny Welbeck was coming on, and Alexis Sánchez was being replaced towards the end of the 4-0 win against Swansea City. The Chilean walked stroppily to the side of the pitch, brushed past his manager with head bowed, angrily drop-volleyed his gloves and slumped alone on the bench, hiding under the hood of his puffy grey coat. This gifted, workaholic footballer, admired and even adored by millions, thousands of whom were in the stadium...
The Arsenal forward showed his frustration when he was substituted during their 4-0 win over Swansea, but Wenger dismissed it as a ‘non-story’A couple of weeks ago, Arsène Wenger admitted Alexis Sánchez looked “jaded”, the relentless Chilean’s workload taking a toll on even his machine of a body. Now, after a couple of weeks rest, Sánchez was back to his fizzing best, the driving force behind Arsenal’s 4-0 win against Swansea City, a bundle of energy that few defences can cope with, let alone the worst in the Premier League.Sánchez seems to regard being substituted in much the same way as a giddy child playing in the park would after being unwillingly called home for dinner. When his number was...
Manchester City’s playmaker dovetailed beautifully with Kevin De Bruyne to wrestle control of the Premier League match with Arsenal for a 2-1 victoryMuch has been made of the fact that this Pep‑project Manchester City is a work in progress, a mutable thing, still looking to find its rhythms and shapes. At the Etihad Stadium, for 20 minutes either side of half-time, City seemed to be evolving at an irradiated speed as first David Silva and then Kevin De Bruyne dug their fingernails into this game and wrenched it their way.Until that point Alexis Sánchez had been the outstanding figure on show. So keen right now to assert his own market value, Sánchez had whirled and sprinted at Manchester City’s defence in...
Alexis Sánchez scored twice against Bournemouth and showed that his work ethic remains undimmed as his partnership with Mesut Özil flourishesArsenal’s 3-1 victory against Bournemouth perfectly summarised their recent performances: three shots on target and three goals. It means their total for November, traditionally the month where Arsène Wenger’s side endure a slump in form, is 10 goals from just 11 shots on target – an entirely unsustainable rate.In a flat performance, Arsenal’s standout performer was Alexis Sánchez. Reverting to his centre-forward role having played wide in the 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain, the Chilean demonstrated his all-round ability here, scoring two goals, hitting the bar with a powerful shot from a tight angle, and also creating five chances for...