Arsene Wenger has backed Alexis Sanchez and Mathieu Debuchy to find their best form again as both players suffer an indifferent start to the new season.
After 25 goals last time out, the Chilean is yet to get off the mark in 2015-16, while the French international has fallen behind Hector Bellerin in the pecking order and is struggling to come to terms with being a bit-part player thus far.
However, the Arsenal manager says he’s confident the pair will come through this relatively poor spell and get back to their best.
On Alexis, he said, “I played him very early before he was completely fit, physically, that is one explanation.
“The second is that every player who has won a big trophy with his national team takes some while to settle and come back to his best. These are the two main explanations for me.
“I think he has had 31 shots on goal since the start of the season and with his finishing qualities that should allow him five to six goals. I don’t worry for Alexis Sanchez.
“Even when he doesn’t score he is still a major threat for everybody and I am confident he will score very soon.”
Tomorrow would be nice. As for Debuchy, the former Newcastle man has endured a tough time since his move from the north-east with two lengthy absences through injury, with Wenger saying he’ll have to fight his way back into the team after the emergence of the exciting young Spaniard.
“I think he has a big fight with Bellerin,” he said, “and he’s slowly coming back to his best. I believe that he’s mentally very strong and very committed, and he will slowly come back and give a hard time to Bellerin.”
At the moment he’s definitely finding it tough going, but fingers crossed he can find some form.
I personally think Alexis and Walcott will score in this game…going to be a tough, open game, but we’ll win
This is the meaning of a squad… having the resources from several players to call on.
Walcott stepping up has seen OG act more serious now he knows how the bench feels. I hope they all score to keep each other on their toes and to push us up the table.
Goals and assists from Walcott this season will be a minimum of 15! Hopefully OG can match that. Sanchez… we know what happens when the beast comes out of hibernation.
Forever COYG!!!
I’m not that sure about that. I like Giroud, his all round play and work-ethic is something I can really admire but I do not really like how he is transforming since he has real competition in the squad. He is definietly trying but with his self confidence low he seems to be losing control emotionally and mentally. His sending off against Zagreb was the prime example, he wasnt really cautioned for the soft faults but for his constant complaints and arguments and there were evidences of that attitude against spuds as well, only he got away with it with… Read more »
I think he takes all the criticism to heart, he shouldn’t, but he does.
Either that or he’s simply having a tough time in his personal life, shouldn’t affect you, but it does.
I hate the sight of Giroud moaning like a little bit bitch. The other night he spent most of his time with off the ball tussles, don’t remember him winning an aerial dual. Keeps flapping his hands about. Just play the game and stay focused!!
Dont see whether Walcott trys to assist now a days! Most of the time he looks for the run. But Sanchez form will come since we know how Per was after the WC and also with proper pre season!
Is it bad that when I read ‘OG’ I immediately thought ‘Own Goal’ rather than ‘Olivier Giroud’?
I immediatly think “Original Gangsta”
And they did, great call
‘Stuff her in Debuchy when Alexis wide open.’ –
I see what you did there
Sunday headline: ” Ox Rocks Poxy Foxes “
Would be nice to just put the entire press conf into one article, instead of four. Not much to talk about, anyway
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Alexis certainly will pick up form but I fear for Debuchy: he may not have enough stretch of games to recover. I hope I am wrong.
Alexis still the most dangerous among our forward players, I really hope the goals will start flowing against Leceister
The real problem is the lack of goals from both Walcott and Giroud. They are supposed to be our lead strikers.
Tomorrow’s game is going to be a really tough one; we won’t get many chances. That’s why the strikers need to find their form now.
Exactly! !! Alexis is under unnecessary pressure because our strikers are just not performing.
Or, our strikers are under unneccesary pressure because Alexis isn’t scoring.
Not that our strikers are doing so much, but I’d consider Alexis to be part of them, as he’s a major source of goals in this team, it’s more a lack of goalscorers than guys who are nominally at CF.
I would counter that by saying we need our shooting boots on because they concede a lot while scoring much too, they’ve conceded 9 goals already, while scoring 13. Us 5, 5 evens. Hopefully our defenders would be top notch.
Sure but now we have Flamini. Runkeball backs The Flam to keep banging them in!
“I think he has a big fight with Bellerin,”
Translation: yeah, look, Bellerin’s been great and it’s his to lose.
You get backed! You get backed! You get backed! Everybody gets backed!! Arsene Oprah Wenger!!
Things havent been the same since Debuchy lost his mohawk. The solution seems simple enough to me.
Good point. Ever since he came back from his long injury I keep wondering who that guy on the pitch is.
At the moment, Alexis is the only player capable of scoring 20 goals or more in the league. He is under pressure and Wenger’s theory of his midfield players getting goals doesn’t seem to be working.
Meanwhile our only true out and out striker is off the boil and the our other option has really not done that well. We’re truly struggling upfront no matter how you look at it.
er? Giroud has 2 goals, Theo has the only other league goal, and Alexis has 0 in 31 shots. At the moment Giroud is the runaway leading scorer, Mr. Goahle aside.
Beside that Giroud has more goals than Aguero, Rooney, Hazard, Costa, Kane (*blurrgh*), Sterling, and Falcao. And though I haven’t seen the numbers I’d wager Theo’s had more or as many chances as any of them. All the supposed ‘top’ strikers are struggling and only the bottom and mid-table ones are thriving at the moment.
Walcott is our best striker,i still believe he could come very close to Henry.Wenger wouldnt pay him so much if he didnt have the belief.
Stay away from those funny cigarettes, ok?
belief is a funny thing…that.
I have to agree, there is something about Walcott, if given enough games I do feel he will burst into life. When he plays it’s like the calm before the storm. And at some point the storm will come and he will smash goal after goal in.
I just don’t wanna wait no more I want the goals now
Keep waiting for goals until Wenger buys a world class striker . January transfer windows beckons.