Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has explained how bringing Sead Kolasinac on at half time helped get the best out of Alexis Sanchez in the win over Cologne tonight.
The Gunners were trailing 1-0 at the break before Wenger took off Rob Holding for Kolasinac, and changed from a back three to a back four system at the Emirates Stadium.
The Bosnian defender didn’t take long to equalise with a superb effort, and Wenger believes he also contributed to Sanchez’s improvement in the second period.
The Chile international scored a stunner to make it 2-1 in the 67th minute, helping Arsenal survive a scare in the Europa League after going 1-0 down early on.
Speaking afterwards, Wenger explained how Kolasinac’s presence was crucial for Sanchez to play with more freedom in attack.
‘Kolasinac gave us a lot going forward, but he also pushed Sanchez more forward. Sanchez was very deep in the first half,’ the Frenchman said after the game.
‘In the second half Sanchez became alive. He is still fighting to come back to his best physically, but Sanchez is Sanchez.’
Arsenal made a number of changes to their starting line up tonight in order to be fresh for Sunday’s trip to Chelsea, but Sanchez was one of the bigger names on show.
The 28-year-old had been somewhat lacking in match fitness due to arriving back late to pre-season, but Wenger will be delighted to see him perform so well this evening before this weekend’s tricky test against the Blues.
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