SANCHEZ BACK TO HIS BEST.. ALMOST
ARSENE WENGER believes Manchester City target Alexis Sanchez is “very close” to his best as he prepares to go on the attack at the Etihad.
Wenger insists his Gunners won’t “hide” or be cautious when they bid to halt Pep Guardiola’s freeand scoring unbeaten side tomorrow.
All eyes will be on Sanchez when he faces City for the first time since his proposed summer move to the title favourites collapsed on deadline day.
The failed transfer overshadowed Sanchez’s start to the season but Wenger believes the Chile forward is now edging towards top form.
“You are being a bit harsh with him,” Wenger said, when asked if Sanchez hasn’t been his usual self yet this season. “The last two or three games, he has been very close.”
Sanchez, 28, was away with his country when the move he desperately wanted fell through. His international team-mate and City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo claimed he went from “happiness to bitterness”.
Wenger insists he has no concerns about Sanchez’s state of mind ahead of tomorrow’s mouthwatering clash.
He said: “I expect him to be motivated, but that is always the case. One thing you cannot fault in Alexis is his motivation. When he plays for Chile he plays with South American passion. Same for Barcelona and Arsenal. He is happy when he is on the pitch and that is all he wants. “Whether a transfer is close or not does not matter. It does not have any influence. “What is important is that, when you are somewhere and you have the opportunity to give your best, that is what you must do. “You say everybody thinks City will come in for him in January – I am part of everybody and I don’t think he will go.” Asked if City even need Sanchez, Wenger (left) said: “They have to decide that. But we need him here.” And the Chilean will be central to Wenger’s approach tomorrow. Arsenal have chiseled out a 0-0 draw at Chelsea and lost 4-0 at Liverpool this season, and Wenger added: “We will try to play our game. We will not hide, let’s put it that way. “You want to defend well and you cannot only be focused on defending. “We want to play and have the ball and create dangerous situations. “Sometimes the best way to defend is to attack. “You have to accept the risk if you want to play football. You accept the gamble and the risk. It’s part of the game. You have to rate the risk. “Is it a bigger risk only to defend if a team is very strong when they attack?”