da betsul： Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez gained worldwide attention at the weekend, with the Chile forward scoring the decisive penalty to secure a memorable Copa America crown for his nation.
da dobrowin： The former Barcelona wide-man held his nerve to net a cheeky effort in the shootout against Argentina in Santiago, ensuring Chile claimed glory in the competition for the first time in their history.
However, although most Gunners fans will be delighted to have seen the dynamic forward claim glory, their main concern may well relate to his readiness ahead of next season.
Unlike most of the rest of Arsene Wenger’s squad, the South American maestro has been embroiled in a tournament that will have consumed a sizeable amount of physical and mental effort. As such, there are undoubtedly both positives and negatives to Sanchez’s Copa America involvement for Arsenal, with next season and the potential for silverware in mind.
PROS
There is no doubt that a happy footballer is one that is more likely to perform on the pitch, and Sanchez looked full of jubilation after the victory.
The versatile attacker will be on a high now as he takes a well-deserved break and will return back to the Emirates Stadium with a spring in his step as he has secured a place in his country’s history books.
The games that he has played in have also been intense and full of passion, which will be a good way of keeping the forward’s match fitness levels high and getting him sharp for the Premier League’s return next month.
Sanchez will return with no visible signs of injury, so Arsenal have dodged a potentially damaging situation had he been hurt whilst on international duty.
And, from a club perspective, if there is any truth in the rumours that Arsenal want to bring Arturo Vidal to North London this summer, having friend Sanchez spend a prolonged period of time with him at the Copa America clearly has the potential to have a positive influence.
CONS
The main drawback to Sanchez’s Copa America involvement is the fact that the player’s break between club campaigns has been dramatically shortened.
With the Arsenal man also playing in the World Cup last summer, he has had little to no downtime to rest – which could well come back to haunt him in the long run.
As the Gunners look to put forward a title challenge next term, and also fight for domestic and European honours, the sheer amount of games that Sanchez has played could impact on his performances down the track.
Although Sanchez should be ready to hit the ground running upon his return to England, there are rumblings that the player could well miss the start of the new Premier League season. The Gunners started slowly last term and as such will want to begin well this time round – a fully firing Sanchez is needed to ensure this happens.
Finally, although Chile won the competition, Sanchez was not at his unstoppable best after a long season with Arsenal, with signs of fatigue starting to show in the latter stages.