Arsenal: Alexis is not a No. 9
In Arsenal’s first two matches this season, Arsene Wenger has employed star winger Alexis Sanchez as an out-and-out striker.
He hasn’t looked his best up top and Saturday against Leicester, the team’s attack struggled mightily. In the absence of Olivier Giroud, Alexis is an option. But a long-term solution? No.
It’s easy to see why Arsene Wenger made the recent comments saying that Alexis Sanchez can be an EPL No. 9 in the mold of Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero.
Wenger needs to give Arsenal supporters something to believe in, albeit something that he won’t have to buy in the transfer market, and yes, at times Alexis has looked a clinical finisher a la Suarez. In fact, Alexis remains the club’s most clinical finisher, but playing him out of his natural position is not the answer.
It would be easier to understand Wenger’s insistence if Alexis was five years younger. But he’s not, he’s 27. Alexis was brought in two years ago as an established star who made his name at Barcelona, Udinese, River Plate and most notably — the Chilean national team. The common theme there? He played on the wing.
If memory serves, Alexis was employed as a No. 9 in late-August 2014 after Olivier Giroud broke his ankle in a 2-2 draw at Everton. While this was the injury that forced Wenger to rightly panic-buy Danny Welbeck, it also forced Alexis to fill a hole for one game. In a 1-0 win over Besiktas in a Champions League qualifier, Alexis netted the winner — his first Arsenal goal.
We know the rest. For the two seasons to follow, Arsenal has received inconsistent striker play from Giroud, Welbeck and Theo Walcott, and Alexis has been arguably the club’s best attacking player since he was brought in. The point is, Alexis is dynamic enough to produce on the wing, and doesn’t need a great striker next to him to do it.
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It’s only been two games, but judging by how good United, City and Chelsea have looked, Arsenal probably need to buy a striker, and it probably needs to be Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette. Otherwise, the club will be in a dogfight for fourth place, and the burden on Alexis, Giroud and Mesut Ozil will be immense.
All that said, playing Alexis as the No. 9 to start the season was the right move. Chuba Akpom isn’t ready, and Walcott never will be. On Saturday against Watford, Giroud should be full-go and Alexis should be back on the wing.
Arsenal needs to beat Watford to avoid being left in the dust early in the season. But if fans want a striker, they better hope Giroud doesn’t turn in a Man of the Match performance.