Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez reminding us of club’s biggest problem

Arsenal witnessed an utter implosion against Liverpool and everyone was at fault. But seeing half-arsed Alexis Sanchez was a keen reminder of the biggest problem.

Arsenal has put us in situations before where as fans, we all yell and scream and make loud noises to voice our disgust. It was a growing crescendo with gradual decrescendos every so often, but the general array of noise grew and grew.

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At the start of this season, it was the quietest it had been in ages. There were the fewest amount of #WengerOut cries and everyone seemed optimistic that the pains were behind us and that it would only get better.

And then Liverpool happened. It’s not even so much the loss that was the hard part. It was seeing the players. Seeing all-effort guys like Alexis Sanchez and Alex “Meh”lade-Chamberlain not on the intensity we know they can be at, content to see their team get driven into the dirt.

There was so little fight that I’m actually straining to think of anyone that actually looked like they wanted to be there. Probably Olivier Giroud.

Alexis is supposed to be just as dedicated as ever, Arsene Wenger told us. But with the Chilean, it’s so easy to tell the difference between full effort and half. And against Liverpool, he was most certainly on half effort, if that.

Which returns us to a new problem that has grown of of the biggest problem the club has, kind of like a second head. The biggest problem is a lack of hunger, desire, fight, etc. This comes about by a lack of consequences, a general disinterest and a supreme lack of urgency.

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The second head that sprung up is this new problem that the Gunners are not going to be able to move forward with players who don’t want to be there. Guys like “Meh”lade-Chamberlain and “Meh”lexis do not want to be with the club. They don’t care about the badge on their shirt and so long as that is the case, nothing is going to change.

They aren’t fighting for the club anymore. They are dreading the club, playing on like a prison sentence.

These guys have to go if that is all we can get out of them. There was nothing there. If effort and fight is the one thing that has been holding this club back, then you have to sell the guys who aren’t willing to give that.

And in the end, you’ll be better for it. Let dedicated youngsters like Reiss Nelson, who actually care about the badge, take over. Let Jack Wilshere play. There is plenty of talent in this club that is willing to fight. And remember what Per Mertesacker says: Talent means nothing. It’s all about hard work.

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Well, maybe Mertesacker should mention that to Wenger.