Wenger Trying To Treat Sanchez As Bilic Did Payet But Sanchez Is Too Good & Too Influential To Merit Such Treatment

Wenger Trying To Treat Sanchez As Bilic Did Payet But Sanchez Is Too Good & Too Influential To Merit Such Treatment

The meltdown in north London took another turn over the weekend as Arsenal went down 3-1 to fellow top four chasers Liverpool thanks to another poor showing from Arsene Wenger’s men.

The Gunners have been guilty of underperforming in clashes with Watford, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and now Liverpool since the turn of the year, however, the loss was not the biggest talking point from Saturday’s late kick-off on Merseyside.


Wenger’s decision to leave star man Alexis Sanchez on the bench after a reported training ground bust-up which lead to the Chilean storming out of a session early, before a heated argument with fellow players in the changing rooms, caused more than a little confusion amongst fans and the media.

If a bust up was behind the manager’s reasons to drop his star man for one of the biggest games of the season, then his bold move was completely undone by the performances of those who replaced him, with the former Barcelona man having to be brought on at the interval as the Gunners management looked to salvage something from the game.

Since the incident, reports have continued to emerge that the Chile international, who has bagged 20 goals and provided 17 assists in all competitions so far this season, is now hell-bent on leaving The Emirates, with just over 12 months remaining on his current deal and French giants Paris Saint-Germain circling.

The forward has undoubtedly been the main man for the Gunners this season, hence their undying efforts to tie him down to a new extended deal, which now look more in jeopardy than ever.

However, whilst in this moment it looks as if Wenger can rely on Sanchez and Sanchez alone to perform for the Gooners, there is Premier League precedent that they could quickly recover from losing their main man.

If the reports of unrest and arguments with his own teammates are accurate, it will be far from helping the morale and performances of the squad as a whole and, whilst he is undoubtedly a world class talent, as a team Arsenal may well be better off without him going forward.

Take, for example, the situation at West Ham during the January window. Hammers fans will have felt that, at the time of Slaven Bilic’s announcement that star man Dimitri Payet had gone on strike, their season was effectively over.

However, in removing the bad egg from his group, the Croatian manager has watched his side go on and vastly improve their performances as a unit.

Where the reliance on a star man, such as Payet or Sanchez, has gone completely – there is no chance Payet could have come off the bench as his Arsenal counterpart did at the weekend – those left behind have rallied and really stepped up their game.

Therefore, while all home may seem lost to Arsenal fans at the moment, should the worst happen and Sanchez does leave, it could be just what the 24 remaining members of Wenger’s squad need to turn up.