El Niño Maravilla - Alexis Sanchez analysis
Later on at Barcelona those number drastically decreased and in his three seasons he average 0.9 or 1 successful dribbles per game, drew fewer fouls and also the number of his key passes have decreased although not surprising due to Barcelona’s system that’s built around Messi and to suit the Argentine player the most. It’s widely known that Sanchez’s days at Udinese were the best that the world has ever seen from him. Having that in mind, at Arsenal, other than Chamberlain there aren’t many players that dribble higher up the pitch, so a player like Sanchez will be welcomed and very useful as he will be more valuable and can utilize his full range of skills. I honestly think that Sanchez can finally fulfill his potential and become one of the world’s best at Arsenal. He's still not at his highest level as he can offer much more. Talking about Sanchez’s time at Udinese, Alexis usually played the same role for the Italians and with much effectiveness, on the wings, with picking the ball up from deep but without a proper defensive protection when going forward although at times it wasn’t needed, adding on this, Alexis created spaces and chances for the main striker due to his skills to drive the ball forward from way deep to high up on the pitch and open free space for the main striker as he takes defenders directly in one-on-one duels. The biggest positive about Sanchez is that he always has space to take defenders on and cut in from behind and get himself in very good goal scoring positions although he might have not had the best conversation rate at times he was clinical when needed. Moving onto Barcelona, he didn’t have the space nor freedom to be a leader like he is with the Chilean NT nor had the chance to become a very vital individualist for the team and for that he didn’t have the support needed from the manager and fans for his confidence to be at a satisfying level, so for that he struggled a lot but in the last season, he got that opportunity and gained a lot of confidence and delivered whenever it was most important.
Sanchez’s strengths are his precise passing, key passes, long shots, direct free kicks, dribbling, off the ball movement and acceleration. Sanchez likes to do layoffs, cut inside and to play short passes that will further allow the teammate to put a through ball in a widely open area so Alexis can cut in from inside and get in the box effectively.
We’ve seen Wenger pull two masterstroke deals two summers in a row, first Mesut and now Sanchez, it shows our ambition and it isn’t stopping. Sanchez’s finishing is exceptional as well as his first touch and his touch in general and close control of the ball. As I said, his dribbling skills are like street ballers, joyful and pure entertainment. His pace and power will definitely be hard to handle for the opponents that’ll have to come up and face him, which will be a plus when Wenger lines his team up. His fighting spirit suits English football and it can take him to another level. Adding a player like Sanchez can make this Arsenal side a very unpredictable one and we can allow ourselves to rotate formations more often from now on. The addition of Sanchez will give Wenger some flexibility with tactics and starting line-ups, a bit of a relief for Wenger because of Alexis’ versatility. Alexis will also add the much needed pace that this Arsenal side has been missing and as I said, much more tactical options for Wenger to choose from and it will allow the Frenchman to rest Giroud more often, when needed. Sanchez is a very disciplined player and thrives under-pressure, his decision making under pressure also is a positive but the thing I like most about him is that he assesses his options before taking a go, if he has a shot on range he’ll shot, if not, he’ll make a Cruyff turn and pass it to a teammate and he makes another chance for the team, always contributive, either defensively or offensively and normally, he contributes equally in both aspects.
1) Alexis’ finishing and contribution in attack:
Alexis’ finishing and contribution in attack – One of the many positives that Sanchez possess in him as a player is his finishing and willingness to create chances for another. In the above images, it’s noticeable that Sanchez is a rare goal scorer and that has qualities to score from the most difficult positions. In my eyes, he’s a player that has that ‘something from nothing’ tag over his name or better said, in his game. I’d describe his finishing as exceptional and very clinical, even though he has missed some very easy opportunities but overall, he scores when its needed the most and that matters after all. He’s a type of player that has the attributes that remind the football population of someone like Tevez or currently, the magnificent Suarez (taking away his horrible actions, like biting and racist abuse) and Aguero. Sanchez strikes as a player who has the killer instinct and most importantly, he’s a player that can lead the line for Arsenal. Whenever he plays, he holds the ball really well and is turned with his back towards goal and focusing on keeping the ball and making less movement, if possible in order to interchange and passing around with the wingers, number 10 and box-to-box midfielder. I believe that he is the right striker to rely on in the big games and we can expect a dozen of opportunities for him to find himself in, especially with the service of Mesut and Aaron. Ozil averages 171 passes in the final third in seven games, combined and in total he averages 2.8 key passes per game which Sanchez can benefit from, out wide or upfront. Also, the German international averages 57 passes per game and has a 87% success ratio and the delivery of through balls per game is 0.4 but I feel that the last stat will massively improve with Theo and Alexis on the wings or upfront. Alexis is a player who drives in from behind and Mesut or Aaron’s through balls will come handy and it’ll be a key factor in forming a deadly combination.
Sanchez's stats from his best and last season at Barcelona: 2013/2014
Here are some more informative and long term Alexis offensive stats:
Since 2009: In total of 179 apps (135 starts, 44 off bench apps), Alexis scored 61 goals and recorded 37 assists. He averages 1.7 shots per game, 1.4 key passes per game, 1.6 dribbles per game, is fouled 2.4 times per game, averagely and makes averagely 2.1 turns (Cruyff turns) per game, overall rating 7.27. Moving onto more detailed stats regarding his passing, Alexis average 79 passes per game and his pass success ratio is 79.3% and averages 0.5% crosses per game. Impressive but can and will do a lot, a lot better.
Alexis has also been very successful with the Chilean National Team
Alexis’ movement:
Sanchez’s movement – One of the many benefits of signing Sanchez is his varied movement. Since 2010/2011 he has contributed to 90 goals, largely down to his positioning and attacking intelligence. The images above show his understanding when attacking – Dani Alves supplies the width so Sanchez moves central. Pedero (middle of the area) moves out to support Fabregas on the ball, so Sanchez moves even more central and acts as the striker. As Alves, Fabregas and Pedro link up down the line, Sanchez darts off the shoulder of the deeper defender to get on the blindside, he then stops his run to create space for himself. Fabregas pulls it back in a typical Barca style and Sanchez finishes the move. In the attacking sense, the signing of Debuchy could prove pivotal. Sagna was never a great offensive fullback, and although defensive strength will be lost, Debuchy’s willingness to supply the width and make runs beyond the winger will give Sanchez a lot more freedom to come off the wing and get in the offensive areas he prefers.
More examples of Alexis’ movement:
3) Sanchez getting in behind:
Sanchez getting in behind – One of the more interesting tests for Sanchez will be coming in from the right with Giroud up front. Alexis has spent the last few years with Messi as a false-9 so he’s had lots of space to move into, with Giroud it’ll be slightly different. Giroud, like Messi, drops off a lot and doesn’t look to get on the shoulder of the defence very often – unfortunately, that’s where the similarities end. Giroud is often slow or sloppy with his distributing, unless it’s an instinct first touch flick, meaning Sanchez will probably have to adapt to the play and time his runs differently. Looking from a logical point of view, the one player last season who made runs in behind Giroud had the best season – Ramsey. If Sanchez can learn when and when not to drift into the space, I’m confident he can improve on his goal scoring tally this season. The images above show Alexis’ willingness and intelligence to get in behind the opposition backline. He puts himself into a position between the left back and left centre back to cause problems. He jogs in waiting for the ball and then using his acceleration he peels off his man as the ball’s played. His versatility to drop short, go in behind or keep the width causes problems for the fullbacks he’s up against as he’s so unpredictable. He has no real weakness, so he’s hard to handle.
Sanchez on the ball:
Sanchez’s dribbling – The most noticeable change from Udinese/Chile Sanchez compared to Barcelona Sanchez is the dribbling freedom. When Alexis broke into the Udinese team he was a very frustrating player –showboating and wasteful crosses flooded in his game, but since 2010/2011 his game has become much more intelligent. Although in his last year at Udinese he still attempted a lot of dribbles (3 successful dribbles per game compared to 1.1 per game last season with Barca), they were with intent. As the images show above, when he picks up the ball his first thought is to take on the opposition. In general his final ball is one of the best you’ll find for a winger, his awareness is excellent and he always has his head up. He’s a very positive player and his control/dribbling is arguably his biggest asset. Very few tricky attackers do well in the Premier League (even if there are more now with the league getting more technical; Hazard, Aguero, etc.), despite this I’m certain Sanchez will be able to change to suit the conditions – like he did when moving from Italy to Spain.
