Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez playing doesn’t need to be bad

Alexis Sanchez’s commitment to Arsenal is being questioned after Arsene Wenger decided to play him against Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night. However, while I would like to have seen him rested, him playing does not need to be bad.

Keeping unhappy players is rarely a prosperous and wise venture. They are, naturally, unmotivated, they do not work for the cause, and, for all intents and purposes, they are more interested in trying to force an exit than they are in the prospects of their current team. Arsene Wenger, as an experienced and intelligent manager, has always tried to avoid this problem throughout his Arsenal tenure.

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He allowed players like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and, more recently, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, though he had less of a choice in the latter’s departure, to leave, knowing that they no longer wanted to stay in North London and understanding that it would be detrimental to keep them.

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This summer, though, when posed with the same conundrum in Alexis Sanchez, Wenger decided to keep the Chilean, despite him entering the final year of his contract. But since that decision, Sanchez has not started a Premier League game. In fact, the only games that he has started have come in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, two lesser competitions. That has led to some questioning his commitment to the cause. Nevertheless, Wenger was bullish in his rejection of such suggestions when asked about whether he saw any negative body language in the 1-0 win over Doncaster Rovers on Wednesday night:

"“No, not at all. I think that is going into very quick conclusions. Not at all. Alexis has been out and injured and I thought he was still a little bit short on Sunday physically, and I played him last night [against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup] to give him more competition. I’m just trying to give him competition to get him back to his best. I gave him a long holiday, after that he had a real rest. He came back not fully fit and then he got injured. That, plus the rest time, was a long time.”"

I was a little disappointed to see Sanchez on the team sheet. He is a better player than the Carabao Cup. But that does not mean that his playing is a bad thing. In fact, considering the upcoming schedule, it may have been a smart decision.

Arsenal do not play until Monday night this weekend, travelling to West Bromwich Albion who will undoubtedly offer up a tough resistance in true Tony Pulis style. They then play on Thursday night in the Europa League, a game that Sanchez could feasibly be rested for, before hosting Brighton at Sunday lunchtime.

If Wenger does rest Sanchez for the Europa League trip to Bate Borisov on Thursday, then Sanchez will have played three games in 12 days. That is hardly a demanding schedule; and given his fitness levels, it is one that he can handle. Moreover, Wenger clearly reveals that he is wanting to provide Sanchez with competition and game time as he recovers from an abdominal injury in the summer. There are few games that are better to be reintroduced than against League One opposition in a lesser domestic cup.

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Initially, I thought it was a mistake to play Sanchez. However, after considering what Wenger has said and looking at the upcoming fixture list, it does not have to be all that bad. Let’s hope, though, that he can begin to find his best form when it truly matters: in the Premier League.