The decision to drop Alexis Sanchez simply beggars belief. In what circumstances does it make sense to drop the player with the most goals and most assists this season, who is also your standout player by quite some way?
The decision proved a costly one as Liverpool came firing out of the blocks and took a 2-0 lead back into the dressing rooms at half time. Wenger reacted, and brought Sanchez on immediately in an admission that he got his team selection completely wrong.
His omission was all the more confusing given that Sanchez played little more than 14 minutes in Arsenal’s last encounter, the 2-0 FA Cup victory over Sutton United 12 days ago, and has had plenty of rest. He isn’t out of form, having scored three goals in his last two starts, so what came over Wenger? He claimed that Arsenal wanted a more direct approach with Olivier Giroud leading the attack, but when has that ever been Wenger’s way? It’s a decision that by all accounts is baffling.
The mere presence of Alexis Sanchez on the pitch visibly lifted the confidence of his teammates, and it wasn’t long before they found a way back into the game, Sanchez releasing Danny Welbeck to gallop forward and dink the ball over the onrushing Simon Mignolet.
The move was a stark contrast to the Arsenal side that played out the first half as if the match was a dead rubber, but that is hardly surprising. What must have been their reaction when Wenger informed the team that their best player was starting the match on the substitutes’ bench?
With each game, Sanchez is proving why he is indispensable for Arsenal, but unfortunately Arsenal are proving every week why he should really look elsewhere if he wants to win major trophies
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