Arsene Wenger tells Alexis Sanchez to get over World Cup hangover – and focus on winning things with Arsenal
Gunners boss admits it will be tough to lift forward after crushing World Cup disappointment
ARSENE WENGER will order Alexis Sanchez to forget about Russia — and focus on winning a trophy with Arsenal.
But the Gunners boss admits it will be tough lifting gutted Sanchez after Chile’s shock failure to reach next year’s World Cup finals.
The forward is due back at the club’s Colney training ground this morning having flown back from South America Thursday evening.
And Wenger admits he has no idea if his player will be mentally or physically ready to return to Prem duty at Watford on Saturday.
He revealed: “Alexis is in a very difficult frame of mind and I’ll have to speak to him about that.
“Chile had just won the Copa America twice and he expected to go to the World Cup.
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“He will be 29 at the end of the year — and 33 by the time of the next World Cup — so it’s certainly a big disappointment for him not to go Russia.
“To go to the World Cup is the target of every single player and I don’t deny the competition is a stimulant for everyone.
“But when one target goes you focus on something else — and now Alexis must concentrate on what he can achieve with his club.”
Sanchez, 28, was not the only Arsenal player to suffer the bitter disappointment of missing out on World Cup qualification this week.
Aaron Ramsey is also facing a summer at home following Wales’ elimination while Granit Xhaka faces the uncertainty of the play-offs with Switzerland.
But Wenger feels Sanchez — their 30-goal top scorer last season — is suffering more than most because he has delivered so much for his country over the years.
The Frenchman explained: “In every generation there is a player who carries the pressure of expectation of an entire nation.
“In France it was Zidane and in England it was Beckham, even though we had other players in the team.
“In Argentina, of course, it’s Messi and in Chile it’s Sanchez. He’s the guy in his national team who absorbs all the pressure and protects the rest of the team a bit.
“But it means he also has to deal with the downside more than the others.
“Remember in 1998 when Beckham was sent off for kicking Simeone. He was treated like a guy who had killed somebody.
“Part of playing at the top level is dealing with that kind of disappointment. Some do that better than others.”
Yet Wenger does not believe Sanchez will chuck in the towel as he runs down his Arsenal contract.
And the Gunners chief is more concerned about the player’s physical well-being following Tuesday’s bruising 3-0 defeat in Brazil.
Wenger added: “I watched the whole match and he got some special treatment. The number of fouls he suffered was difficult for me to watch.
"So I will have to assess his situation for the weekend — but I have no doubt that he wants to perform for us."
