Here’s a little anecdote from Arsenal’s London Colney training centre last week. Apparently when Alexis Sánchez makes a mistake in training, he sprints from wherever he is positioned all the way to the goalline behind him and back again as a kind of instinctive, self-imposed punishment. An exaggerated yarn? Maybe. But after a season of watching the revved-up Chilean whiz like a footballing dervish around Premier League pitches, it is entirely believable.
Arsène Wenger said something intriguing to back up this notion when a Chilean journalist asked him about how Sánchez could improve. “You are from Chile?” queried Wenger, before breaking into a broad smile and putting on his most hospitable voice. “Welcome.”
On to the burning question: “He is not missing a lot,” said Wenger. “He has just been voted player of the year by the fans. What the fans like with him is he is a fighter. That is why he is liked by everybody here. Sometimes he is too demanding with himself, too quickly upset when it doesn’t go well for him and he has to learn to be a bit more patient and not to be too quickly upset.”
Perfectionism
This brand of passionate perfectionism underpins his game. If he concedes possession he chases madly to get the ball back, as if losing the ball is a big personal affront. But Arsenal’s luck is that Sánchez has the gifts to regularly turn all those impulses into something so positive, as 25 goals and 12 assists this campaign attests.
The key lesson for kids learning a sport who haven’t mastered what to do with their desperation to win is to channel that energy into their game. That wonder-strike in Saturday’s final at Wembley is a classic case of Sánchez funnelling all his energy and resolve into the power and precision behind the shot.
That goal followed Theo Walcott’s opener while Per Mertesacker headed in a third, with substitute Olivier Giroud wrapping up scoring from close range as Arsenal outclassed Aston Villa.
Sánchez has been a perfect signing for Wenger. In terms of impact he is a 10 out of 10 with a gold FA Cup branded star. The mixture of intensive effort and inspiring skill gives Wenger some fascinating food for thought over his short summer break (the manager seldom takes more than a week off).
Nobody would dispute that Arsenal still have some improving to do to get closer to the level that delivered the title to Chelsea this season. Wenger has witnessed how much of a difference a world-class talent such as Sánchez can make. The question is, can he find any others who can arrive and elevate the squad further?
The position which requires the most thought is up front. Wenger is completely wedded to the formation that has a fluid hub of three mobile and creative stylists (currently Sánchez, Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey) weaving away behind one main striker. That role has been mostly played by Olivier Giroud this season, Theo Walcott suddenly emerged to lead the line prolifically in the last couple of weeks, and Danny Welbeck, who has been injury-plagued, has had a few turns as well.
Consistency
Can Giroud, Walcott or Welbeck be trusted to find the consistency in the most challenging games to take Arsenal to that next level? Although the majority of critics might not need to think too hard about that, the decision is less clear-cut for Wenger. He loves to develop players and still feels there is room for more from Giroud, Walcott and Welbeck.
There is also the very obvious problem of buying world-class talent. “You don’t find it in the supermarket,” Wenger is fond of saying. Importantly, Arsenal’s two luxury-priced signings in recent years, Sánchez and Özil, only came about because they were considered surplus to requirements at Barcelona and Real Madrid. At least Arsenal can go into any potential negotiations feeling positive about the club’s direction. Guardian Service
Jack Wilshere has been reminded of his responsibilities by Arsenal after leading foul-mouthed songs mocking Tottenham Hotspur following an open-top bus parade to celebrate winning the FA Cup.
