Alexis Sanchez hasn’t given up… he is trying harder but playing in all the wrong areas
Arsenal's gamble to keep the Man City target in the last transfer window is backfiring - our friends at Football Whispers say why
ON Sunday afternoon Arsenal suffered yet another defeat to a team occupying a place in the top four.
Losing 3-1 to Man City is no shock, especially the way Pep Guardiola’s team have been playing recently.
But what would be disappointing to Gunners fans is the manner in which they lost and the performances from several of their players, including their talisman Alexis Sánchez.
The Chilean hasn’t come close to hitting the heights he achieved last season and, with only eight months left on his contract, we asked our friends at Football Whispers to take a look at whether Sánchez has stopped performing this season.
The Chilean got the nod from the start at the Etihad, his sixth of the season.
But after the final whistle the stats were no better. Sanchez has managed just one goal and two assists in the Premier League during 545 minutes of action – a far cry from the 24 goals and ten assists he contributed last term.
On transfer deadline day, City made a push to sign the 28-year-old.
He wanted out and Guardiola was desperate to get a deal over the line.
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Arsène Wenger found himself in a tough position; sell your top scorer to a rival, or take the chance that he leaves on a free in the summer and hope he helps you score the goals that fire you back into the top four.
Sánchez was across the Atlantic, trying to help Chile qualify for the World Cup. All he could do was wait. But not only would his country lose, but the window would shut with the forward still an Arsenal player.
So far, it’s safe to say Arsenal’s decision not to cash in has backfired.
The Gunners are sixth in the Premier League and are obviously still in contention for a top four spot, but their star man isn’t firing on all cylinders. Or so it would seem.
The statistics from this season tell a different story. Sánchez is actually attempting more shots, 4.3 to 3.6 last term, per 90 minutes. He is even managing to turn more of them on target, at 1.7 per 90 - which is 39 percent of his efforts.
However, what stands out is the number of which he is trying from distance, with 2.6 of those shots coming from outside the penalty area.
When he is at his best, Sánchez is active inside the box, causing havoc and scoring goals.
But, like against Liverpool and City, when it’s not going well, he hovers around the edge, trying his luck from far out.
One or two might go in as, shown against Cologne in the Europa League, he has the ability to conjure up magic from those areas.
But it’s not percentage football and will always offer up more disappointment than success.
Last season Sanchez was taking 1.4 shots from outside the area, and that’s the one area which has definitely changed this season.
When you look at his attempts off a dribble, or the amount of key passes made per 90, there has been no slump.
It is still a small sample of games to go off, but there’s no drop in how often he gets on the ball and looks to make things happen for the North London club.
The issue is the areas in which he is trying to change the game.
Although he’ll start wide and drift, you need Sánchez in the thick of the action to make a difference.
At the moment, that’s not happening and that’s where Arsenal are floundering.
Unless his return for goals and assists changes come January, there may be a temptation for Wenger to gamble, cash in on the Chilean and look for alternatives.
Yet if he can force Sánchez to push further into the final third and play closer to goal, the gifted player idolised at the Emirates is still definitely there.
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