Super Sanchez joins Arsenal’s list of legends
IN the days leading up to the FA Cup Final, Alexis Sanchez was among a group of Arsenal players who were shown a DVD to remind them of the club’s rich history in the competition.
The video montage showed Charlie George in his yellow No 11 shirt, spreadeagled after his fabulous strike beyond Liverpool’s Ray Clemence in the 1971 Final sent the Arsenal fans into raptures at the old Wembley in their Double-winning season.
Then there was Ray Parlour’s glorious 70th-minute opener at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff against Chelsea in 2002, completing another historic Double for Arsene Wenger, who recorded a record- equalling sixth Final success as manager
The film finished with another trophy lift at Wembley last year following Aaron Ramsey’s extra-time winner against Hull City, when Wenger’s team came back from the dead to seal a stunning 3-2 victory.
‘The clips gave me extra motivation,’ Sanchez admitted as he prepared for his first cup final for Arsenal.
Undoubtedly, he scored one of the great goals in the competition’s 143year history on Saturday, with a strike at the start of the second half that moved and dipped in its 30-yard journey into the back of Shay Given’s net.
It is little wonder that Wenger has spoken of Sanchez in the same breath as Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, convinced that the Chilean forward will soon receive the same reverential treatment as those great Gunners.
Sanchez’s enthusiasm for the game is infectious, always demanding more from himself and his team-mates.
‘Every time someone takes the ball off of me, I feel like I’ve been stripped of my toy,’ he said in an interview with BT Sport in the build-up to Saturday’s Final.
‘I want to win it back.’ ‘Sometimes I want to train more, but he (Wenger) doesn’t let me.’
Last Wednesday morning, during the club’s media day at the training ground, Sanchez began the warm-up laps around the pitches by juggling a ball with either foot. It was compelling to watch.
‘It is difficult to stop him because he is a hyperactive boy.’ Wenger explained. ‘He can run with the ball, but his runs off the ball make him difficult to stop.’
Arsenal’s manager described him in three words — ‘fighter, dribbler, goalscorer’ — during that interview, which was screened ahead of their emphatic 4-0 victory.
Sanchez is terrific to watch, breathing new life into this Arsenal team after his £30million move from Barcelona last summer by scoring 25 goals and promising to challenge for more titles.
‘It has been a positive season, but I still have ambition to win more. I want the team to grow more and to compete in every competition we play in,’ said Sanchez. What a signing this has proved to be, an inspirational force during Arsenal’s third-placed league finish and their record 12th triumph in the FA Cup Final.
He will return to Chile today to begin preparations for the Copa America, which starts with a group game against Ecuador on June 11 in Santiago and could end with the final on July 2. It means Sanchez is likely to miss a return to Wembley for the Community Shield on August 2 for a clash with league champions Chelsea.