“IT’S FABULOUS”, WAS Arsene Wenger’s assessment of Alexis Sanchez’s contribution to Arsenal since joining from Barcelona in the summer.
On a bitterly cold Wednesday night in north London the Chilean was again central to a typically nerve-shredding victory under the lights as the Gunners stole a 1-0 win in the 89th minute.
The 25-year-old, along with Olivier Giroud, who made an energising impact off the bench, dragged Arsenal from what looked like two dropped points to another vital win.
It was actually one of Alexis’ more moderate displays in an Arsenal shirt, which says it all.
Here he was, duelling with Nathaniel Clyne down the left before switching to terrorise Ryan Bertrand on the right in the second half. In fairness, the full-backs, both highly regarded, just about dealt with Alexis but his electric movement and probing passes were a constant menace for Southampton.
The few occasions he drifted into central areas saw him come alive and a superbly weighted through-ball to Danny Welbeck carved open Arsenal’s first chance of the game. Seeing him thrive in the No.10 role – as we did throughout November – makes you wonder why Wenger continues to start him on the left but this freer role had the Saints midfield constantly living in fear.
His 14th goal of the season came in dramatic circumstances as an out-of-sorts Aaron Ramsey sent the ball fizzing across the six-yard box and you could understand where Wenger was coming from when he told the press of Alexis having to “dig deep today”.
Prize asset
This was possibly the only time all game that Alexis gambled and committed to a run into the six-yard box and that fighting spirit his manager is so keen to highlight in his prize asset came to the fore.
It meant 10-man Southampton left with nothing. Cruel in some regards – they defended diligently and reduced Arsenal’s creative efforts in the final third to a game of interceptions – but even Fraser Forster’s colossal performance in goal wasn’t enough to bag Ronald Koeman a point.
That’s now three consecutive victories in just seven days for Arsenal, easing the pressure on Wenger somewhat after a trying few weeks.
Speaking of Wenger, he has been widely ridiculed for boldly (some would say foolishly) declaring that he could lead Arsenal to a Premier League title by the end of the 2016-17 season – when his new contract expires. “Of course,” the 65-year-old remarked valiantly of his chances.
Yet the evidence of the last few years suggests the Frenchman is well wide of the mark and this season will offer little comfort to even his most staunch supporters. On the other side of the fence, the section of the support that has called for him to resign must surely see that, in Alexis, Arsenal now have a superstar capable of carrying a team to silverware.
Alexis is that uniquely South American blend of genius and dogged spirit that was last embodied on these shores by Luis Suarez. Though rare, when those qualities are married together and harnessed shrewdly – and Arsenal still believe they can get Alexis performing at an even higher level – they will have, if he is not already, a world-class game-changer.
The only surprise is how fast he’s adapted to a league that has traditionally smirked and bullied foreign stars into careers elsewhere. And Wenger admitted he’d never seen a player make such an impact so seamlessly – some statement from a man with 45 years’ experience in professional football.
“It’s difficult to find examples of players who have settled so quickly,” he told reporters immediately after the game. “You cannot and you won’t.
“We’re in December, he arrived in July, look at the number of goals and impact he’s had. It’s fabulous.”
Alexis is in his prime. He will spend his best years at the Emirates and Arsenal have to match his ambition in this time. Wenger says he can lead his team to a Premier League title but at the moment no-one else is near the Chilean’s level – including Wenger himself.
There is also the burn-out question. He played almost two complete 90 minutes matches for Chile in the international break before returning to play 270 minutes in the last seven days. Wenger may want to rest him but much like the Cristiano Ronaldos of this world, the best want to play in every minute, while on days like this their clubs need them on the pitch for the duration.
Whether this comes back to haunt Arsenal further down the line is impossible to answer but there will come a time when Alexis’ standards take a dip. At that stage, it must be hoped Wenger would have a contingency plan, else his professed desire to win a fourth Premier League crown will come to nothing.
Goal.com — Jay Jaffa.
