Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini recently admitted that he wanted to bring Alexis Sanchez to the Etihad when it became clear he would be leaving Barcelona. At the age of 25, the Chilean was – with his best days ahead of him – looking for a fresh challenge.
Financial Fair Play took the Citizens out of the race, as they were sanctioned by UEFA, paving the attacker’s road to Arsenal. Since then, he won the FA Cup and the hearts of Gooners.
Pellegrini: "Alexis was a major player we wanted to take to City. We could not before he signed for Arsenal."
— LiveSoccerTV.com (@LiveSoccerTV) December 16, 2016
Should he join the Citizens? pic.twitter.com/wDCaj6uOpB
Rumors link him with a move to Man City, as contract talks with the north London outfit stretch on. He would be paid more at the Etihad, and could win more trophies. Nonetheless, we make an argument that joining Arsenal was the better move.
Sharing the spotlight is not fun
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two best players in the world right now. Having them on one team would be mouthwatering in theory, but it might not work out due to one huge reason: you can’t have to head chefs in one kitchen.
Alexis Sanchez loves being under the spotlight – and there is no shame in it – but playing alongside Sergio Aguero could have easily caused problems. At Arsenal, the Chilean ace is the center of attention in their attack. At Man City, he would have had to share that role with a similarly excellent attacker.
An Aguero-Sanchez partnership would have benefited the club, but could have left one – or both – of the players unhappy. One player would have had to play second-fiddle due to City’s tendency to field only one centeral striker.
This means Sanchez would have faced the difficult task of usurping Aguero as their number one striker, because playing a bit-part role is what made him leave Spain. Or Man City would have had to….
Play him out wide
He has done it for Barca, and scored 19 goals. He did it for Arsenal up until this season, and performed well. Alexis can score, but he can also beat defenders and assist, so what could be so wrong?
Arsene Wenger has and continues to compare the 27-year-old to one of the hottest strikers right now: Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan tends to play down the middle, as should Alexis. Although Sanchez does drop back too deep on occasions, he has shown this season that he can be the perfect lone striker.
Reuniting with Pep
He enjoyed a good relationship with Pep, hence rumors claiming the Spanish tactician contacted the player to talk about a reunion. However, it was under the then Barca boss when Alexis suffered. His first two seasons at Camp Nou were his most difficult, and that spell coincided with Pep’s reign.
It was under Gerardo Martino when he scored 19 goals in La Liga in a single season. Although injuries played a part in his inability to leave his mark under Guardiola, a shift in philosophy under Tata was pivotal.
A more possession-dominated play doesn’t suit the South American ace. Although that might not be the philosophy at Man City right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if Guardiola instilled that eventually.
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