Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez Epitomises Evolving Squad Mentality

Alexis Sanchez has confidently stated that Arsenal can win the league if they ‘stick together’, epitomising the evolution of the side in recent years.

There have been a few prevalent criticisms regarding the Arsenal team for many years. For a whole host of reasons, the club, from the chairman, the manager all way down to the playing squad, have not been able to overcome any of these critiques.

The style of play, particularly the naivety in big games and the defensive fragility has been called into question, the reluctance or the inability – very few outsiders are actually sure which one – to spend in the transfer market has seen the club regress in comparison to the rapid rises of Manchester City and Chelsea over the past decade, but perhaps the biggest critic levelled at the team has been their mental fragility.

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Let me ask you this question: Are you wholly confident that Arsenal will, even if they are in a clear position to do so, win the Premier League this season? While I would love to answer yes to this question, thanks to the influence of history, I simply find myself wavering in my confidence of the winning abilities of this team.

Early this year, though, there have been signs that the winning culture Arsene Wenger was able to cultivate early in his tenure, are beginning to rebirth. Wins against Burnley, Swansea and Ludogorets in the Champions League all displayed the character and belief of champions, something that Alexis Sanchez has now shared about his teammates. Speaking to the Arsenal website, Sanchez stated:

"“I think we’re even more determined to achieve something and win the Premier League, but you have to take it slow. We have a great team, our ambitions are high and we want to win the league. Everything comes down to what happens from now on. All games are different and anything can happen in football. An important player might get injured – someone might leave, someone else might stay. It’s tough to keep it going, but if we stick together and keep putting the running in, I think this team can win it all.”"

The Chilean is the spearhead of the mental evolution of this squad. Are they chiselled winners? No, not yet. For a start, other than two FA Cups in which they played Hull City and a terrible Aston Villa side in the consecutive finals, they are yet to win anything of real merit. Are they showing signs that they could become winners? Absolutely.

And Sanchez is at the centre of the growing expectation that Arsenal can finally end their 12 year Premier League title drought. His quality on the pitch is a part of it, but perhaps even more telling, is his self-belief, his unrelenting effort, and now, his confidence in his teammates. This could well be a title winning evolution for the Gunners.

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