Arsene on Alexis
ARSENE WENGER has denied claims that a training ground bust-up with Alexis Sanchez was behind his decision to drop his top scorer for Saturday’s match at Liverpool.
On the eve of Arsenal’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayern Munch – a tie in which they trail 5-1 – the pair were pictured shaking hands at a training session yesterday - but the manager claims he does that to all players at training every day.
“Yes, [the reports] are completely false,” Arsene Wenger said. “But I understand that you have to fill the newspapers and we respect that. When you don’t win games it’s not always down to real stories and we have to accept that.
“You know, I shook hands with him on Saturday morning and after the game as well. You decided that I did not shake hands. I shake hands every day with Alexis Sanchez.”
Wenger also denied that Alexis Sanchez has higher standards or greater desire for success than some of his teammates, which would hardly be a stretch to judge by some of his and Arsenal’s recent performances.
However, Wenger acknowledged that Sanchez can appear emotional when things go wrong on the field, which naturally does little to calm fears among fans that the former Barcelona man is growing increasingly frustrated with a trophyless life at Arsenal.
But the Frenchman claimed that this evidence only of ‘excessive commitment’ that could be taken the wrong way.
“Excessive commitment is maybe sometimes when he [gestures] on the pitch,” said Wenger. “It’s always interpreted that he’s not happy but it could be interpreted as well that he wants everyone to be with him. I think when it doesn’t go well these things are interpreted negatively.”
Wenger also insisted that his relationship with Sanchez is “honest and normal, like with every single player,” and that suggestions of a summer move are premature.
“Alexis has 15 months of his contract so the decision on will he be here or not will depend completely on Arsenal Football Club and not on anybody else.”
And he was obviously unhappy with the suggestion that Sanchez was the vital cog in his team’s chances of success. “I don’t deny that [he’s a key player], but players who play at that level are all proven winners. What is important is that we perform as a team.”
Sanchez yesterday issued what sounded at first like a ringing endorsement of his commitment to Arsenal when he wrote on Instagram: “The true warrior fights not because he hates the ones in front of him, but because he loves those behind him.”
But of course, such are the rumours about the deterioration of the relationship between Sanchez and Wenger that you then began to wonder whether the Chilean had deliberately omitted any mention of the people on the sidelines. – Express Newspapers The Independent
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