Super Sanchez Still Needs To Prove Himself This Saturday

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Quite a lot of superlatives have been thrown Alexis Sanchez way this season and rightly so. The Chilean has taken to the English Premier League like a duck to water and has been a standout for his new club Arsenal so far this term.

It’s come as no surprise to this writer. I’ve been banging on about Sanchez since his Udinese days. All summer long I was saying he’d be one of the best summer signings if an English side could purchase him. In July I stated that he was a mixture of Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero and I stand by that statement.

But one thing remains for this £32m man and that’s really impress in a big game for his new side and secure a victory over one of their rivals. 

Against Chelsea he worked with plenty of endeavour, for such a creative talent he always gives his all. But he struggled to really make any meaningful impact. Against Manchester City at the Emirates, he showed perfect technique when scoring past Joe Hart. But the performance wasn’t enough to get all three points.

To be fair to Alexis, getting vital wins over teams that are strong adversaries has been the Gunners problem for quite some time now. It’s usually the difference between a ‘Top Four’ finish and becoming genuine title contenders.

The problem for players such as Sanchez and Mesut Ozil is that they’ve been signed to influence such encounters. So when those wins continue to elude Arsene Wenger’s men then the pressure magnifies on the mega-rich signings.

In the next seven days, Alexis Sanchez can solidify his fine start in England’s capital.

Arsenal have two very important clashes, with Manchester United coming to town on Saturday and then the Gunners will entertain Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Looking back, the Arsenal Man United clash has always been one of the leagues biggest fixtures. This time the London outfit lie in sixth spot, a full eleven points behind leaders Chelsea, whilst weekends opponents United are a point and place behind in seventh place. Both sides will be going all out for the win that sends them closer to a ‘Top Four’ position and will give their whole club a key moral boost.

Dortmund soundly defeated Arsenal back September and after their collapse against Anderlecht at home last time around in the Champions League, Sanchez and Co need to prove a point this mid-week.

I am not having a go at Sanchez or Arsenal here. The Chilean forward has banged in eight goals so far in the EPL and only Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero have bettered that return. His dynamic running, eye for a pass and instinctive finishing have been a blessing for Arsenal and their fans this campaign.

But the fact remains that he needs to step it up in the big games and produce a standout performance. Actually the same can go for the Arsenal squad as a whole. Manager Wenger also needs to get that huge victory under his belt.

Against Man United this weekend they won’t get a better chance. The Old Trafford side have plenty of injury concerns and are still settling under new boss Louis van Gaal’s regime. But should Arsenal fail to pick up the win at home then questions will once again surround Monsieur Wenger.

This could be Alexis Sanchez time to show he is the world-class star that can once again make Arsenal a realistic  threat again!

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