Why Arsenal would be average without Alexis

Sanchez vital for the Gunners – skysports.com

If Arsenal fans are concerned by the prospect of a new contract for manager Arsene Wenger, they are equally worried that one may not be signed by Alexis Sanchez, who is in the last 15 months of his current deal.

For a club that supposedly had ambitions of a title challenge this season, very few players have performed to the required standard. Mesut Ozil and Francis Coquelin have struggled to build on positive 15/16 campaigns, the latter protecting a defence in which only Laurent Koscielny has excelled.

The one player carrying the Gunners has been Alexis Sanchez. In 23 games in which Alexis Sanchez has played as the lone striker, he has scored 17 goals. He presses from the front and makes life hell for opposing centre-backs in possession. Roberto Firmino is the Premier League’s only central forward to have made more tackles per game than Sanchez. (1.4 – WhoScored).

None of them make as many dribbles (2.9) while only Diego Costa and Ashley Barnes are fouled more often (1.7). Sanchez’s pace made him a constant threat in Arsenal’s best performance of the season, a 5-1 victory at West Ham, where he scored a hat-trick. He inspired the North Londoners to September’s 3-0 win over Chelsea, since which their rivals have only lost twice.

Even in games in which the team does not play so well, he is the one man single-handedly engineering attacks. We saw that in Boxing Day’s 1-0 win over West Brom, who defended stoutly throughout, or in last month’s 2-0 win over Hull, who created chances but were undone by Sanchez’s brace.

Some Arsenal fans want a new striker to be signed, but this blog would argue a more successful summer would see no additions in that area but a long-term contract for Sanchez. Without him, this Arsenal squad would be closer to midtable than the top four mix.