Maybe the biggest takeaway after Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Basel is not that they won the three points but rather that the way in which they did it. It was an excellent game for the Gunners who lined up arguably their best starting eleven. The attacking line was close to being sublime. Turning Sanchez into the main man in front of goal could be the best decision Wenger has made in quite a while. After seeing him perform against the Swiss side, even club legend Martin Keown admitted that using the Chilean as a striker was the proper choice:
“I saw him play up front for Chile at the World Cup, having only ever seen him play out wide for Barcelona, and his work-rate, pace and ability on the ball were so impressive. Defenders hate that, I remember playing against Ian Rush and he was an absolute pest – you didn’t want the ball when he was around.”
‘When Wenger signed Sanchez I thought Arsenal’s closing down from the front was going to be the best it’s ever been, and it’s been a mystery to me why it’s taken so long for him to be played down the middle.”
“He has looked fantastic there so far and he will only get better as he learns more about the position. Over the past few matches I can’t think of another striker who has contributed more to the team than him – he’s looked like Sergio Aguero of late.”
If Sanchez does turn into the same striker as Aguero, Arsenal will finally get the boost they wanted so badly. It`s incredibly hard to find top players for every position especially now when so many teams have the budget to spend as much as needed to sign whomever they want. While Wenger does have Welbeck, Giroud and newcomer Perez, Sanchez does look like the most in form player to use. Moving him up front will not destabilize the team either as Iwobi and Walcott are doing an incredible job down the flanks.
Speaking of Walcott, there is something that must be pointed out: the England international is finally meeting expectations. Apparently he admitted to have changed his take on football which is why fans see such an improvement in his game:
“I’ve changed, I’ve changed my whole setup in how I approach every day, coming in to training, coming in to matches, the way I prepare myself”
“Towards the back end of last season, when I wasn’t getting many opportunities, I sat down with people. I’ve had to change how I approach the game.”
“I wouldn’t say things have been difficult for 18 months. When I go back home and see my little boy, that’s not difficult at all, it puts things in perspective at times.”[Quotes provided by <a href=”http://metro.co.uk/2016/09/29/theo-walcott-i-was-getting-too-comfortable-at-arsenal-6160740/”>Metro</a>]
Hopefully, this will finally be his year. The important thing is for him to stay away from injury and keep this ascending trend. With Walcott, Sanchez, Iwobi and Ozil in top form Arsenal will surely bring in the trophies.