Strange news from the Arsenal training ground. Alexis Sánchez has, according to his colleague Theo Walcott, been working too hard. There's an oh, Arsenal joke in there if you want one — "making the rest of you lazy sods look bad, is he?" — but that would be uncharitable. Walcott's concern arose less from any sense of personal embarrassment and more from the thought that the Chilean, who apparently has been training with remarkable intensity, might burn himself out.
Alexis Sánchez is already Arsenal’s most important player
With four goals in two games, the Chilean genius is flourishing at the heart of Arsenal’s attack.
Julian Finney
That would be disastrous for Arsenal. Just 10 games into the Premier League season, Sánchez is already arguably the North Londoners' most important player. (That, perhaps, should be what gives his colleagues pause.) It's easy to see why Liverpool were so keen that Sánchez take the place of Luis Suárez. While he's not quite as prolific as the Uruguayan -- Suárez is, effectively, a world class attacking midfielder and a world class striker at the same time -- they both share a ludicrous, defense-spooking dynamism that energizes the team around them. The Chilean's preference for London is, perhaps, more responsible for the current malaise at last season's second-placed side than anything that Mario Balotelli might or might not have done.
Because he's not just brilliant, he's perfect. Perfect for the Premier League, and perfect for Arsenal. Last week, Gary Neville wrote about the decline in defending and the disappearing art of stopping goals; Sánchez, a hyperactive harrier of back fours, is the ideal player to take advantage of any such drop in standards. For his two goals against Sunderland he squeezed mistakes out of the Mackem back line; against Burnley, he threw his 5'7" frame higher than a 5'10" fullback and a 6'2" centre-half. Burnley's game plan was to allow Arsenal to circulate the ball among themselves at the back; Sánchez was the only player insisting that he be allowed to play where he wanted to.
This, in part, is thanks to Arsène Wenger lighting on Sanchez’s best position. Having been moved around the Arsenal frontline to accommodate others, his last two games have seen him positioned as an untethered No. 10, similar to the position he played before Barcelona, at Udinese. Four goals in those two games have won him the headlines, but there’s been more to his performances than just the finishing. With Danny Welbeck roaming along the frontline ahead of him, and given the freedom to peel out to either wing or run beyond the front man, Sánchez’s skill on the ball is complemented by his energy and intelligence when pressing the opposition. In essence, if the ball is nearby, then he’s a threat, whether he’s the one running with it or not.
That, more than anything, is why he’s at his best when he’s got the freedom to go hunting according to his own whims, and why he’s a touch wasted when given a flank to patrol. It remains to be seen whether he’ll stay as central once Arsenal’s injuries start to lift, but for the moment, he’s there and he’s bossing things.
Speaking after this weekend’s game, Wenger was effusive. “He is quality and he takes responsibility and goes at people and fights. He can give a final ball and score and that is what we want from great players. He is a winner,” the manager told reporters. Inevitably, this comment has led to a few less-than-flattering comparisons with Mesut Özil, but in truth, the skill of going at people and fighting has been lacking from Arsenal in general for far too long. (Fighting them properly, Jack. Not by shouting and pointing.) Perhaps the Premier League’s politest big team, it’s as refreshing as it is confusing to see an Arsenal player charging around the top of the pitch and getting up everybody’s nose. (Getting up their nose properly, Jack. Not by shouting and pointing.)
“It’s easy to play with Alexis Sánchez,” says Mikel Arteta. “He’s a bull and he wants to get better and better.” Though his style and his character may jar with what we’ve come to expect from Arsenal -- it’s been a while since they last had a bull -- there are few higher compliments possible in a team game. Making life easy for his colleagues isn’t just good manners. It’s a sign that things are starting to click, to fall into place, to work. Now, Arsenal fans just have to hope he doesn’t run himself into the ground.
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