Arsene Wenger, when talking about Alexs Sanchez’s omission against Liverpool said
The thinking was that we had to go more direct and I wanted to play two players strong in the air because we decided to go more direct.
Sanchez’s omission from the starting lineup against Liverpool was one of the bravest decisions Arsene Wenger has ever made in his career. Whether it was purely a tactical decision like Wenger said or if Sanchez’s reported midweek actions were a factor, only the manager will know.
It actually makes sense to go direct and try to bypass the Liverpool midfield. Manchester United did it at Anfield earlier this seasons and almost nicked a win.
Leicester went direct in their victory over the Reds too and Wenger opted to do the same, except in this case, it backfired completely.
Arsenal have, in recent times, struggled to play well in the big games and Wenger should take most of the blame for this. Unlike Jose Mourinho or Sir Alex Ferguson, Wenger has never been a reactive coach.
He never adapts his team tactically to the opposition. Sometimes, it is better to accept that the opposition has better players and adapt accordingly but Arsenal tend not change their tactics or their personnel for the big games. One exception was the brilliant 0-2 win away against Manchester City two years ago in the Premier League.
So it was surprising that Wenger chose such a crucial match to change his strategy. Although going direct did make sense because of Liverpool’s heavy pressing, Sanchez could have certainly fitted the system better than at least Alex Iwobi did.
It definitely points to the fact that all is not well with Sanchez’s contract negotiation and vultures might start encircling the Emirates soon looking to snatch away their most prized asset.
