Alexis Sanchez says that Arsenal need to channel the performance they put in against Man United earlier this season as they head for Old Trafford today.
The Gunners blitzed Louis van Gaal’s side with a scintillating first half display, with two goals from the Chilean and one from Mesut Ozil.
It’s been tough to replicate that kind of performance though, but Alexis has urged his teammates to try and do just that.
“That really was the best match we’ve played all season,” he said. “We went out there and put pressure on them having gone out with the mentality to win.
“That day, before we all went out for the match, if you looked into the eyes of all the players you could see we all had this hunger to win.
“There was just a look on our faces that we wanted it and, when you have that, you know you’re going to be hard to beat and that’s what happened – we went out with that mentality.”
And with Leicester winning yesterday, there’s added pressure on Arsenal to take all three points.
“We are obliged to win this match to put ourselves into a position where we can fight hard for the title,” he continued.
“Manchester United are a very strong team with a great history of football. They have all this history behind them and it’s going to be a hard match.
“Now the focus is on the Premier League and trying to win – that’s important for me, the team, for everyone.”
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger is urging his side to keep their focus, something which he feels hasn’t always been the case in previous season.
“The mood of some players was more to get the next contract somewhere else than to win the championship because at the time we had to sell our players,” he said.
“When we went into April some of the players were tapped up to go somewhere else and it was difficult to maintain the focus. That’s not the case at the moment.
“This is a team that’s very hungry. They want to win and I think they’ve shown that in the Cup in the last two years.
“This team wants to do well and is very conscientious and I think my job is more to relax them a little bit.”
Let’s hope they’re relaxed enough to play well and score goals today.
C’mon Alexis, time to put on those scoring boots and put this fallow spell behind you! Confidence will surely follow after you’ve put the first goal in the net. Vamos!
It’s about time some of our players start finding their form. Do that today and we’re in for a strong finish to the season. Forget the CL, play our kids in the return leg. The FA Cup (if we get through that’ll be the third year running QF draws in our favour), and the league is the main priority. Seems abit clutching at straws given our recent form, but heck that’s what makes being a fan worthwhile. COYG!
Please all Arsenal players do your talking after you have won the match and not fucking before
Thanks
Exactly, TT! Fucking before the match leads to tired legs 😉
Have you noticed anytime Giroud talks big before a game, he ends up either playing average or downright horrible??
They need stop talking and start delivering. I’ve listened to all these big talks for over 10 years.
Walk the walk guys!!! COYG
Please please please be up for the game today guys, same as the home game! Man Ure 0 Gunners 4 will do nicely 🙂
Was the tapping up thing a response to a direct question, or was it a response to Barcelona’s bollocks with Bellerin?
Either way, do we think he’ll be benched for this game?
not a chance. he’ll be playing unless he’s injured. we all knew that if bellarin was a success then barca would come sniffing
We are in a 4-match unbeaten run against both Manchester clubs; let’s make it 5 in the red half. Three points today please.
Alexis is due a good performance. Let’s hope he does it again against man utd
Alexis is going through a difficult spell at the moment but I have no doubt he will come good again soon; I’ve never seen a more determined footballer. The problem is that I can’t see us winning the league this season, and therefore I think he will be gone in the summer. He is the sort of player who needs to win, and he isn’t going to be happy with the continual fourth place finishes that are par for the course at Arsenal football club. Wenger has dropped the ball yet again this season. His refusal to spend on a… Read more »
“The mood of some players was more to get the next contract somewhere else than to win the championship because at the time we had to sell our players,” he said.
Nasri. Fabregas. Clichy. Hleb.
Nasri was the biggest one, was untouchable between september and february then disappeared entirely in the crucial part of the season after Sheikh Mansour flashed a bit of leg, before complaining about Arsenal not having a winning mentality after his move. Prick.
Really miss coqzorla 🙁
If Alexis starts with that mindset today. The team will surely follow him.
Huge desire with insane closing down is when we shine brightest.
Man Utd’s history should have nothing to do with it, but the fact that it does tells you a lot about our mindset when we have played them away in the league over the last few years.