Alexis Sanchez didn’t seem too happy Arsene Wenger substituted him in the Norwich game, but the Arsenal manager believes the Chilean’s reaction was nothing to worry about.
Although Arsenal won the match by a slender 1-0 margin, Sanchez was mostly ineffective during the game. He was even dispossessed three times during the match, and played as many as 10 inaccurate passes. With the game precariously positioned, Wenger decided to bring on defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin for Sanchez in the last five minutes.
Sanchez was not too happy with the manager’s decision and stormed off down the tunnel as soon as he was taken off. However, when asked about it, Wenger played down the whole incident.
“Was he happy? No,” Wenger was quoted as saying on London Evening Standard. “My job is to make decisions. To get 100 per cent happy is difficult.”
The Frenchman did not even know that Sanchez had stormed off down the tunnel when the incident actually happened. He said, “I honestly didn’t see [Sanchez walking down the tunnel]. At that stage I was more worried to keep the 1-0 and I didn’t see it.”
Wenger also criticised his attacking players for not being able to finish the game off after Welbeck gave his team the lead.
“We did not find a way, in the air or on the ground, to score goals,” said Wenger. “Today again, I think once we were 1-0 up, there were more goals in the game for us, but we couldn’t finish the game off. You can always be caught back.”
Arsenal need more wins like these
The Gunners have often been guilty of throwing away matches that they have been leading by a goal. Over the years, we have often seen that teams that have the capability to grind out the 1-0 result against opposition that sits deep are more successful. The likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City have all had to churn out these 1-0 results in the seasons when they won their respective Premier League titles.
Although Wenger has criticised his strikers for not closing the game off, he will be pleased to see that his side could hold on to a slender lead. While Arsenal do not have a mathematical chance to win the league anymore, this win will be a good sign for both Wenger and the fans as they try to ensure Champions League football for next season.
