Alexis Sanchez seems incredibly low - he needs to refocus at Arsenal because he is player who loves to win - TACKLE KEOWN

  • Alexis Sanchez was close to leaving Arsenal to join City in the transfer window 
  • Arsenal host Bournemouth, looking to hit back after Liverpool beat them 4-0 
  • Manchester City host Liverpool in the early Premier League match on Saturday 

Sportsmail columnist Martin Keown dissected the major talking points ahead of the return of the Premier League this weekend.

He gave his verdict on how he thinks Alexis Sanchez will approach the remainder of his time at Arsenal and outlined what players face when they readjust after the international break.


He also gave his verdict on the standout match of the weekend - Manchester City v Liverpool. Scroll down to read through his comments. 

  • Martin Keown

    Host commentator

13:35
That's all folks

Thanks for your time. Until next week...

13:29
What’s your prediction for Manchester City v Liverpool?

Home advantage will be key, and I can see City isolating Liverpool’s defenders in a way Arsenal could not.

City to win 2-1.

Manchester City's attack, partly comprised of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, may cause Liverpool problems
13:24
Where do you see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fitting in at Liverpool?

I can see him playing in midfield instead of Can or Wijnaldum — but I am intrigued to see if Jurgen Klopp can make him the complete player.

It is no longer about promise with Oxlade-Chamberlain — it’s all about end product.

It was interesting watching him for England in the last two games. Whenever he had the ball, he kept trying to do the impossible.

We have only ever seen 80 per cent of what Oxlade-Chamberlain is capable of. Now, he has no excuse but to deliver.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could make his Liverpool debut at Manchester City on Saturday
13:19
How difficult is coming back from the international break after long travel?

I do remember coming back from international games on a Thursday ahead of a weekend match. It was a bit of an ordeal.

We will have touched down in the early hours of the morning and the gaffer would want us back in training for 11am.

Having been away for a week to 10 days, I would get up early to see the kids after limited sleep.

I would fall into bed on the Thursday night... only to have to get up early the following day and pack for a trip to somewhere like Old Trafford!

You really want a home game after the international break — though eventually you have gone through the routine so often that it becomes part of the job.

Some of your team-mates will have qualified for the World Cup, others will be struggling to do so. It is therefore important that you refocus quickly on the task at hand with your club.

It is vital that Alexis Sanchez gets focused after Chile’s disappointing defeat in midweek.

Alexis Sanchez cut a dejected figure after Chile's loss to Bolivia in World Cup qualifying
13:12
Can Frank de Boer turn things around at Crystal Palace?

De Boer is a smart man. He will know that he is on borrowed time — and he may well have already lost the players.

Blaming the manager is an easy out for these players. Now everyone is back from international duty, De Boer needs to take on board the criticism and admit to the squad that he tried to move away too quickly from the style of play the squad were used to.

If De Boer does lose his job, of course it will reflect badly on Steve Parish for hiring him. From Parish’s point of view, staying in the Premier League is the priority and it will be more important that he corrected his mistake.

Burnley will be no pushovers on Sunday for Palace. They scrap and work harder than any team in the Premier League.

Sean Dyche’s side will find you out if you are not totally committed.

Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer heads into Sunday's match with Burnley under intense pressure
13:06
With Danny Drinkwater going back to Leicester with Chelsea on Saturday, what is it like going back to your old club?

It can be difficult... and I don’t remember getting too many good welcomes!

There will be mixed feelings when Drinkwater returns with Chelsea. He is a living legend at the King Power Stadium for being part of Leicester’s title-winning success — but equally Leicester fans won’t let him forget that he left them in his prime.

I never enjoyed going back to Arsenal after I left for Aston Villa in 1986 but there was one time when I realised how good it was to still have friends at the club.

I returned to Highbury with Villa just after we had been promoted in 1988 and was so focused on the game that I completely forgot to leave a ticket for my sister who was coming.

Fortunately Terry Murphy, Arsenal’s youth development officer, spotted her and came to the rescue and got her two tickets.

The reaction from Everton fans wasn’t too bad after I went back to Arsenal in 1993 but that all changed when we played them at Goodison Park in 1999.

Don Hutchison got sent off after trying to elbow me and the Evertonions thought it was all my fault!

Keown incurred the wrath of Everton fans on his return in 1999 when Don Hutchison was sent off
12:56
How difficult will it be for Santi Cazorla to come back after more than a year out injured?

When you have an injury that will not heal, it can be very harrowing for a player.

If you cannot seem to be able to overcome a problem it creates anxiety.

Towards the end of my career I had hamstring difficulties. What looked like a six-week absence turned into three months out.

It underlined for me that I was no longer reliable for selection. Nobody wants that ‘sicknote’ tag.

I suffered a broken leg during my career but people tend to question you more when the injury is muscular.

Santi Cazorla will be determined to get rid of this problem once and for all. The club have done well in supporting him through this period.

He is a player Arsene Wenger rates really highly — his true value is only realised when he is not available.

Cazorla will be given every opportunity to get back to his best.

Santi Cazorla will be given every opportunity to return to full strength by Arsenal
12:49
Can Arsenal expect Alexis Sanchez to give his all?

Sanchez is an emotional player who seems incredibly low at the moment as a result of not getting what he wants.

But this is a player who loves football. He wants to play and win and must refocus on this as he rejoins his Arsenal team-mates following the international break.

Manchester City may try again for Sanchez in January but the player should now be looking to leave with dignity at the end of the season having given his all for Arsenal.

There are lots of factors to consider, of course. It can have a toxic effect on the dressing room if all the talk is about players wanting to leave.

But this situation has demonstrated just how stubborn Arsene Wenger can be. He will not be dictated to by a player in this way.

If Sanchez wants to make a fool of himself and down tools, then that is up to him.

After almost joining Manchester City, Alexis Sanchez must now refocus on Arsenal
12:42
Should Arsenal have signed Thomas Lemar?

It seems Arsenal left it too late to sign Thomas Lemar on deadline day but you would think had Real Madrid or Barcelona made a similar move for him, it would have happened. 

Arsenal cannot pretend to be in the same league as those clubs but their poor start to the season would certainly not have helped in getting this deal over the line.

It is easy for players to make excuses about Arsenal now. They are not in the Champions League and, from Lemar’s perspective, Arsenal looked like a club where everyone wanted to leave.

Players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil came to the club because they wanted to work with Arsene Wenger. The uncertainty surrounding the manager’s future last season will have played a part in these players stalling over signing new contracts themselves.

Lemar and Kylian Mbappe are just two of the promising young players emerging from the conveyor belt of talent in France.

Arsenal were beneficiaries of this talent when they signed the likes of Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka but these players do not seem to be giving them the nod now.

Arsenal were unable to get a deal over the line for Monaco's Thomas Lemar on deadline day
12:33
How does Kylian Mbappe compare to Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry?

Mbappe is an immense young talent who, for me, is a mixture of both.

Where he is more similar to Anelka is in the way he has burst on to the scene so quickly. It took Henry a bit longer to mature into a great player.

Anelka was chillingly ruthless from the start of his career — he didn’t even celebrate his goals — and I see the same in Mbappe.

I had Anelka and Henry stepping into my territory every day on the training pitch and it was my job to test them. They were the best two young forwards I came across.

What is so exciting about Mbappe is that he has the potential to be even better than them.

Every member of the France team looked electric in their 4-0 win over Holland last week. Whether Mbappe goes on to win major honours for France as Anelka and Henry did remains to be seen, but he has it all before him.

Kylian Mbappe has the potential to surpass Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka
12:28
Good afternoon everyone!

It's good to have the Premier League back, isn't it? Join me for the next hour or so as I go through the big talking points ahead of what promises to be a fascinating weekend of action. 

But first, a reflection on the major transfer to go through on deadline day.

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