Can’t live with him, can’t live without him. To some of an Arsenal stripe Alexis Sánchez has long since crossed the line from shimmering genius to incorrigible soloist and dressing-room malcontent; to others he remains the primary source of light in a team whose default setting, certainly in away fixtures such as this, has become insidiously stodgy.
On an evening that came to be dominated by Mike Dean’s interpretation of the handball law, there were few definitive clues as to how Arsenal might best proceed in January, when their talisman’s future will be under harsher scrutiny than ever. Once again, their most telling flourish came from his boot; once again, it would have masked deeper issues had they been allowed to see out the win.
Arsenal had spent much of the three days since their victory over Crystal Palace grappling with unsavoury stories about Sánchez’s lack of regard among his team-mates, which the sharp-eyed perceived in muted celebrations when he settled the issue at Selhurst Park. The glare on Sánchez will only intensify now: from Monday he can, should he wish, negotiate a Bosman move to a foreign club, while a medium-term injury to Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus four hours before proceedings began here invited predictable conclusions about the sourcing of a replacement.
In the event, body language enthusiasts had little to chew on. While Laurent Koscielny’s injury-enforced substitution meant the most obvious bellwether was nowhere to be seen when Sánchez, via the turned back of James McClean, opened the scoring seven minutes from the end, it was notable that this time the entire Arsenal team joined him to celebrate. Sánchez had radiated encouragement and goodwill throughout: when Calum Chambers skewed a crossfield ball out of play towards the end of a generally execrable first half it was tempting to think the Chilean’s applause had, if anything, been too generous.
This was disjointed, deeply uninspiring fare and that has become a theme in Arsenal’s assignments on the road. A similar showing at Burnley in November appeared to have drifted into irrelevance until Sánchez converted a last-minute penalty; another lumpen display at Southampton was salvaged just before the end when he aimed an accurate cross on to the head of Olivier Giroud. In general he has come nowhere near his highest standards this season but a quick scan of his team-mates shows no one with his knack for raising them above mediocrity.
Arsenal’s performance here must be put into some context. Giroud joined Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey among those absent through injury but the lack of intuition against well-organised opponents remains troubling and the sense persists that Sánchez, busying himself in areas that offer little profit, might be better pressed into service in a more central position – particularly with Alexandre Lacazette struggling for form.
Lacazette was well marshalled throughout by Ahmed Hegazi and Jonny Evans, about whom West Bromwich Albion have their own decision to make this winter. In their case, funds from Evans’s departure – Arsenal remain among those credited with an interest – would go towards adding firepower to a side who, with a little extra penalty-box presence, might have made a rainswept evening far less comfortable. Arsenal’s situation is less clear-cut: should City come back for Sánchez then their need would, presumably, secure an eye-watering fee for a player at the end of his contract; the problem is that their attack would require a fundamental rewiring and the best solution is probably to muddle through until June.
Arsenal loosely resembled 11 Father Christmas impersonators in their red shirts and shorts, a combination not seen since April 1978, but offered little to inspire goodwill. Alex Iwobi came close with two fair efforts but slowed too many moves down with uncertain first touches; Jack Wilshere looked like a player who had endured one game too many and it was not to the substitute Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s shame that, like Sead Kolasinac before him, he struggled with the right-winger Matt Phillips. Arsène Wenger was right to rail at West Brom’s extra two days of recovery time, a ludicrous state of affairs at this time of year, but this was hardly the first time Arsenal have struggled to come anywhere near exceeding the mean.
The question is what that average will become should Sánchez, behind the clapping hands and group hugs, successfully agitate in January for the move he wants. “He’ll play on Wednesday night [against Chelsea],” Wenger said. “I think he was fantastic.”
A lot will change for Arsenal in 2018, that much seems certain, but where their conundrum of a forward is concerned it seems a little too early for auld acquaintance to be forgot.
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