Arsenal: ‘Demanding’ Alexis Sanchez worth all the pain

Martin Keown has stated that Alexis Sanchez is a ‘demanding’ individual to manage. However, the Arsenal attacker is worth all the pain that he may cause.

Modern footballers are moody. That is, unfortunately, a fact. While it would be unfair to paint all with same, broad stroke of restlessness and disquiet, as Arsenal have experienced a number of times in the past, they can be demanding, unrelenting – not in the desperate-to-win good way that most hope for -, and extremely unhappy if they do not get their own way.

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That is the scenario that Arsenal face with Alexis Sanchez. Although he is far from the prime-donna-type footballers that pervade and pollute the modern game, that does not mean that he is easy to manage. He is needing and wanting and will make sure that he receives what he requires from those around.

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That is the viewpoint of Martin Keown. When asked about how Wenger deals with Sanchez and whether he sees him as a possible problem in the dressing room, Keown described him as ‘demanding’, revealing a story about him from training:

"“I think he’s a difficult man to manage. I did turn up at the training ground once – and it was one of his days off but he suddenly turned up and he was bouncing around the training pitch. They were having to facilitate him and put a training session on for him. That can be a good thing but he’s a very demanding individual.”"

That may well be the case. In fact, I expect it is the case. But Sanchez is worth it. His quality on the ball, his ruthless streak in front of goal, his ability to twist and turn out of congested areas slipping past tackles, sliding through defenders and weaving his way into space are all invaluable traits that unlock the best in the Arsenal attack. And his influence show in the stats.

Only Harry Kane was involved in more goals this season with 29 goals and seven assists (Sanchez had 24 goals and 10 assists). Sanchez also scored more goals than any other Arsenal player and assisted more goals than another player in the squad. He contributed to 44% of the team’s goals throughout the season and engineered far more opportunities than the bare numbers would indicate.

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Sanchez may well be difficult to deal with behind the scenes. But his influence on the pitch is undeniable. He is worth all the pain and the nuisance that he may cause, though he may not be at the club much longer whether Wenger is willing to put up with him or not.