Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Alexis Sanchez returns?

Arsenal face Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday. Alexis Sanchez, after a complicated and controversial summer, has returned to training and could be in line to feature. It will be a welcome distraction from the questions of his future engulfing him and the club.

Alexis Sanchez has become embroiled in a turbulent time of question, rumour and conjecture regarding his Arsenal future. Clarity has been an absent family member, uncertainty has ruled the roost, and as the external viewers that we are, rarely is any semblance accurate insight into the maddening and distant modern transfer world given.

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As last season dragged to an end, it became clear that Sanchez was unwilling to commit to a new deal. The lack of ambition showed by the club, Arsene Wenger’s own doubt over whether he would be allowed to extend his two-decade tenure, and the painfully absent Champions League football given the slump into fifth place.

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Given Chile’s featuring in the Confederations Cup in the summer, Wenger, as he usually does with the players that have international commitments after an already long and arduous campaign, afforded Sanchez an extended break, only demanding he returns earlier this week.

With such a prolonged break, absent from the Gunners’ preseason tours of Australia and China, where much of the training and match time is centered on building fitness and sharpness, rather than the technical or tactical side of the game that is worked on through the season, it is unknown whether Wenger will play Sanchez on Sunday against Chelsea in the Community Shield.

It was certainly uplifting to see photos of Sanchez in training, but thanks to the threat of injury — the Premier League starts just days after Sunday’s final with Leicester City coming to the Emirates for open the season with an intriguing Friday evening kick off — perhaps not starting him is the best course of action.

Sanchez is undoubtedly Arsenal’s most important and influential player. His goal scoring ability, his creativity, the drive and impetus that he offers with his accurate, fast-paced, direct dribbling are absolutely vital to the attacking potency of the team.

Would it be worth risking a player of such essential status in a game of a relative insignificance? On the other hand, match time is irreplaceable, and as Wenger prepares his squad for the season, including Sanchez, providing his players with the opportunities to sharpen their fitness and readiness is invaluable.

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I suspect that Wenger will veer away from starting Sanchez. The risk, given the lack of time in training, is simply too high. But do expect to see him at some point during proceedings. It could well be a welcome distraction from a summer of controversy and uncertainty.