After a 24 goal opening season made him the most prolific debutant apart from Thierry Henry, Alexis Sanchez can get even better according to Arsene Wenger.
The Chilean had a fantastic debut campaign in North London, and the Arsenal manager is backing the former Barcelona man to do better this time around.
“He is already better than when he arrived,” said the Frenchman. “In his final finishing there is room for improvement, in his final ball he is already much better, his vision is quite good and incisive.
“He has that desire to go forward and provoke. He is a guy who provokes chaos in the defences because he has a go at you.
“He does not go across, he goes straight. His desire to go forward, to provoke opponents, to run at people, creates danger.”
And Wenger drew parallels with the man who replaced him at the Camp Nou, Luis Suarez – someone who the Arsenal manager tried to bring in with that infamous £40,000,001 bid.
“They are at the same level,” he said. “Suarez is a central striker and Sanchez is more a wide player who likes to go up and down and is involved in dribbling.
“But they have similarities. In South America they are richer in strikers than Europe.
“You look at Aguero, Messi, Suarez, Sanchez, I could name many of them. They produce more than us and we have to look at ourselves and see how we can correct that.”
Once Eden “Messi” Hazard gets sick and tired of playing as defensive middlefielder left back with occasional written permission to move into the opponents half… he will start regressing (it has already happened) and English media’s natural hatred for everything Arsene-al and french will have to give way. Imagine Alexis in the hands of Mourinho… that would be like watching a caged lion at some horrific zoo only intended for a cross breed of Gorilla-Sloths who enjoy staying in their 1×1.. Wengaland is like my refrigerator where all manner of beautiful unique organisms grow, thrive, add spice and make all… Read more »
What I loved about his performance against Palace is that he made it count by sheer desire. Once he’s 100% fit again there’ll be shitloads of chaos to deal with for the opposition. Man I love that guy!
Sanchez loves pressing opposition. Hope the rest follow his lead tomorrow.
Sanchez is already our world class striker. I could watch that FA Cup final goal all day.
If we can’t get someone established we should be making an effort to find the next Suarez, not the finished article.
All avenues, please!
We could sign Hannibal Lecter and teach him to play football…..
While I fully agree with the comments by wenger regarding Alexis. The statements regarding south American having more strikers is a bit baffling, if we are going to be on the lookout for a world class striker and can’t find any in Europe then I’m pretty sure we can buy a decent striker from south America and convert him into a world class one in a year or two’s time.
Yes, but we have bigger problems with work permits for Sth / Central Americans than our rival leagues.
Campbell and Wellington both showed enormous potential as youngsters but now we have problems getting them into the team to give them the experience of the PL that they desperately need.
What a prospect! If anything, he can work on his distribution imo. Someone of his abillity should be able to “pick a pass” more often than he does. Not that my opinion counts for shit, considering I can’t pick a barn door with a beach ball.
We know you need service from the flanks ollie.
I think even Özil might have some trouble picking a barn door with a beach ball. But it’s Özil so who knows maybe he could predict the 7 curves and 20 dips and rises to perfection.
Im hoping the rest of the squad can get better aswell.
Best value-for-money signing in the premier league in a long while. Kos runs him close though.
Santi might have a say in that 🙂
Is he being primed on the wing to be the answer to our striker problem???
I for one would like to see Alexis through the middle a bit more. Perhaps thats a way to get Theo and Ox into the team (playing left & right) or could even free up a space for a new wide left forward , as there seem to be no 9’s available on the market atm.
Middle is the territory of Ozil.
Unless you want to push Ozil back to Cazorla spot (which only works in FM)
err………..santi?
My guess is that Sanchez will be gone by the end of next season.
Just like Van Persie, Nasri and Fabregas, the Chilean will realise that Arsenal have no ambition and that Wenger is a second-rate manager. Top players want to be at top clubs; and top players want to win the two big trophies. That’s why Alexis will probably engineer a move away from the Grove and to somewhere like Man City.
And then all the plankton will be bitching. But nothing will change.
My guess is that you are wrong!
My hope is you are gone, the way you agitating and spewing hatred towards the whole team
A few months back, didn’t you guess that he’ll be gone this season already?
Anyhow, maybe you just don’t know enough about football to rate Wenger?
You might think it’s coincidence but to me it makes perfect sense that we were stagnating for a long time while financially shackled but improved heavily since that is over.
I think you should relax and appreciate the current development and not let your frustration rob you of the fun of enjoying the ride.
THAT look Alexis is giving Wenger in the Pic..^
Now all we need is a centre forward of the same standard to play alongside him. Then we would be unstoppable.
1 nil to the arsenal
Benzema is not even in the real madrid squad tonight…..i think its gonna happen. Unless anyone knows why?? No mention of injury
Heard about talk of hip injury some weeks ago…
He’s injured.
Interesting! Hope so.
Less worried about a CB with Gabriel and Chambers in the squad and some prospects in the U21s, notably Pleguezuelo, than having cover/competition for Le Coq. It looks like AW is basing the defensive part of the midfield around a double pivot (perm two from Le Coq, Santi, Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta) rather than a box-to-box player, with Ramsey and Wilshere being the options for that role when he wants to line up that way. I would guess a lot of hope is being invested in Bielik, too, as a potential box-to-box DM, but we probably have a season or two… Read more »
Ah well, maybe not then
I love Alexis. That is all.
PS. Fuck monday night football.
Alexis is absolutely brilliant and a joy but I would like another forward. If he tires or get injured we don’t have the same reliability of intensity and invention. (OK we have potential in Ox, and plugging away and flicks from Giroud but just some more pizazz and product is what I want). It is frustrating that we didn’t even seem interested in Pedro or Memphis and so our rivals have strengthened up front. We seem to be pining after the same old list of ….Benzema,,,, and whoever, and then lamenting lack of strikers rather than competing in the transfer… Read more »
Do you know what I think we have a world class striker in Sanchez and he just needs to be Thierry-d up abut then he would be our aguero, then have The Ox on the left if he can play there, Ozil or Wilshire when fit at No.10 the Walcott or Welbeck on the right then Le Coq and a box to box DM preferably but Cazorla and Ramsey are great, Nacho left, Bellerin right and Kos and Gab centre and finally Cech in goal