Man United impressed on the field once again after a great showing at Stamford Bridge over rivals Chelsea. They march on and take on the Wanderers at Molineux Stadium on March 16.
Addressing the United side, they were hungrier than the owners of the venue on the night. The victory was thoroughly deserved by the visitors. Early goals saw United sit back in the second half and soak up all the Chelsea waves of attack.
They were happy to hit the home side on the counter instead of committing too many men up front. After going up by two goals, the inclusion of Alexis Sanchez was surprising, as midfielder Matic was on a yellow card for a large part of the game, and was a risk all night for Ole.
Instead of opting for a new holding man, the Norwegian went with wildcard, Sanchez. To bring the winger on was the right idea, due to Matic having one of his best games this season. It was not easy for the manager to jerk him from the game and either way, the substitution worked to the T.
Sanchez broke the lines on occasion and should have done better with his chances. These openings, on any given day in a Barcelona sweater or in Chile colours, he would have buried it in the 90. What has become of him, is literally written all over him in his body language and lack of quality.
Sanchez is world class but his time is up!
The price tag, the wages, the rep of the club, the statue of the club, the weight of the jersey number… The list goes on what could be the problem for the once potent forward. The magnitude of the club was just too weighing on him.
It’s been over a year now since Alexis pushed over in the dramatic move from Arsenal to Man United, and it’s been a long, forgettable year for the Chilean. No secret at all that he might go down as the biggest transfer failure in Premier League history. He knows it too. He took on too much that he could chew on and now leaves his plate full of unfinished business.
In all honesty, the transfer was the dumbest move ever. Sanchez was never and will never be a Jose Mourinho type of winger. He was more suited for Pep’s style of football, therefore would have excelled if he’d move in the other direction. But it probably was his wife who made the final decision and now Sanchez fights to find form in the latter stages of his career.
Before United’s game, he spoke of how he feels because of letting down all of Manchester. This sounds like a player who has given up the fight and is ready to through in the piano. It was encouraging to see Ander Herrera try to lift his spirits after the final whistle and during the press conference.
Times change and so can form. But Sanchez gives the image of a player with a lost mentality and is on his way out. It will take more acts like last night and containers full of self-assurance to get him back to his best.