Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez Complicates Winger Equation

Many have lobbied the case for arsenal to sign a new right-winger, but could that mean losing out on the best of Alexis Sanchez.

Alexis Sanchez is supposed to be one of few constants in the ever-changing arsenal lineup. A mainstay on the left flank, he is one of the fulcrums upon which Arsenal’s set-up is formed. His role from the left is simple: cut inside onto that devastating right foot, and look to get a shot away, release a neat through ball, or play a clipped-in cross.

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Combining deadly pace and power with astounding technique and an engine that never stops, he is one of the best players in the current squad. However, there was a spell last season between February and March, where something appeared to be going wrong. Sanchez had just returned from a two month spell on the sidelines, and was looking extremely stale on arrival.

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When receiving the ball out on the left, he would start to dribble inside, and wouldn’t stop, often ending up on the right side of the pitch having achieved nothing. It appeared as though right backs had figured him out, choosing to sit off instead of closing him down. Sanchez had become static, predictable and one-dimensional.

However, in order to bring back the best out of his star man, Arsène Wenger made what I believe was one of the finest decisions he made all season: switching him across to the right side. All of a sudden, the bag of tricks was restored, with Sanchez having the options to get to the byline, drift inside and link up with Özil or stay wide and deliver a cross.

The overlapping runs of Bellerin also ensured that he did not have to worry about narrowing arsenal’s play. Immediately, the goals and assists started to flow: Spurs, Crystal Palace, Watford, two against West Brom, West Ham, Man City. This positional switch, along with the introduction of Alex Iwobi in the left wing role, brought back the balance and stability to Arsenal’s attack.

This does beg the question however, regarding which position Sanchez will take up come next season. Most would expect it to be the left again, with the switch having been just a temporary shake-up. However, we have now seen evidence that shows that Sanchez could have trouble on that side. What if it were to happen again? Would the positional switch still be available?

Moving Alexis to the right was only possible because last season, Arsenal had a revolving door of right wingers, with the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joel Campbell and Aaron Ramsey all filling in. However, this transfer window, Arsenal have been linked to a series of high-profile wide men including like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Riyad Mahrez. If signed, these would fill up that final slot in arsenal’s attack for good. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

However, should a major signing be made, it would eliminate that option of moving Alexis across, should the need arise. No high-profile signing would want to be benched or shoehorned onto the left in order to accommodate Alexis, and I do not believe that a depth signing is necessary in the wide positions.

Thus, should Alexis start next season on the right, or be moved there at any point, the previous right-winger would need to be accommodating of that. This may thereby hamstring any attempt that would be made towards attracting a big-name winger.

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However, I do not feel resentful towards Alexis for this. He is a better player than anyone we are linked with, and a maximum effort should be made to bring the best out of him. He does need to sign that new contract this summer after all.