Arsene Wenger has backed Alexis Sanchez to win his shoot-out with Sergio Aguero in the battle to prove who is the Premier League’s best player.
Wenger says the pair have been arguably the best in the business this season. Aguero has scored 19 goals for Manchester City and Sanchez is just one behind him.
But all but four of Sanchez’s goals have come at the Emirates this season and Arsenal’s red-hot Chilean is desperate to put on a show in a big away game.
Gunners boss Wenger admits Arsenal’s away record against their top four rivals is not good enough and they have managed just one point from a possible 21 in recent visits to Manchester.
Premier League goals/assists - 2014/15
14/3
Aguero
12/7
Sanchez
That leaves Wenger hoping Sanchez will turn on the style against his South American compatriot as Aregntinian Aguero is likely to lead City’s attack at the Etihad.
Wenger said: “There are some other great players in the Premier League but they are two of the most performing since the start of the season.
“Aguero has been less consistent because he’s been injured. I think in the last year Aguero has suffered from being a bit in and out but of course he is a world class player.
“Sanchez is full of energy and full of enthusiasm as well, which is fantastically refreshing when you see the number of games he has played. He is always keen to go out and play.
“What everybody admires with him is that his game is full of enthusiasm and desire to do well, to take people on and to fight to get the ball back. It is infectious and it is fantastic.
“Yes, it’s true that at Chelsea and Liverpool he wasn’t at his best. But he has had some good away games too.
“It’s maybe because the team has not been as effective away from home, because when you are a striker you depend a little bit on how much your team pushes forward.”
Wenger also says that he has been blown away by how quickly £33m Sanchez has settled into the Premier League but dropped short of agreeing with Thierry Henry that he has been the club’s best signing for six years.
“He is one of the fastest to adapt in the Premier League,” said Wenger. “I believe it’s because he feels accepted by the other players that he feels he is an important player.
“When I watched Barcelona the other night I watched one South American, Messi, give the ball to another South American, Suarez, give the ball to another South American, Neymar. They have strikers there.
“It’s difficult to compare (the signings of) Koscielny with Sanchez. All the signings we made this year were good. Sanchez is one of the better ones, but you have to consider the price you pay as well to decide that because we paid good money for him.”
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Sanchez’s performances at the Emirates have mirrored Arsenal’s impressive home form while they have been inconsistent on their travels this season.
Last season, Arsenal lost at Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton and yet Wenger says it is important they send a strong message of intent at the Etihad on Sunday.
Wenger said: “We are going through a period where confidence is important because we have big games between now and the end of the season. So it could be massive.
“We can win big games as we’ve done it before in the Champions League many times. I feel we have to play with a bit more freedom.
“We want to win. You have to die and you want to win. What we want is to put the maximum effort in to give ourselves the best possible chance of winning.
“Mathematically we are not in the best position but what we want to do is give ourselves a chance to come as close as possible and put a top-level performance in.”
Wenger also claimed that City’s signing of Frank Lampard - via New York City in the MLS - was a “strange” deal while he claimed that he “hoped” their £28m signing of Wilfried Bony was in line with Financial Fair Play.
But interestingly, Wenger has claimed England players do not want to go to St George’s Park even though the FA’s Burton base is this country’s football headquarters.
England boss Roy Hodgson spoke to Wenger about releasing Arsenal’s England players for the aborted get together this month and the Frenchman said he did not block it but claimed players were not keen.
“Yes he spoke to me about it,” said Wenger. “First of all it was at St George’s Park, which is not the best location for a get-together. But he cancelled it because some people did not want their players to go.”
Wenger has also claimed Mathieu Debuchy was “destroyed and embarrassed” by his latest injury blow after being pushed by Stoke’s Marko Arnautovic.
After initially clearing the Stoke player of wrong doing, Wenger admitted he has watched it again.
“He is destroyed, Mathieu Debuchy, because he is such a keen player, so professional, so willing. It is his first year here and of course he is embarrassed,” said Wenger.
“But it is not his fault. He was pushed. The push was not needed. I watched it again and in that situation he was a bit unlucky as well because there is a little divot just after the touchline and maybe that made it worse.”