Alexis Sanchez

[malg]

Has he been linked to the Rags yet?

 

[Proy]

Sanchez is in the top bracket of players in the world.

There's not a hope he will spend a season playing in the Europa league, in the prime of his career.

He will leave Arsenal this summer.

 

[lancs blue]

Has he been linked to the Rags yet?

Well he's got 2 legs, so probably but :-

"Interest has cooled."
"Never wanted him anyway."
"Really looking for a striker."

Take your pick.

 

[Mid Wales blue]

Well he's got 2 legs, so probably but :-

"Interest has cooled."
"Never wanted him anyway."
"Really looking for a striker."

Take your pick.

You forgot the new one "united turn their back on".

 

[01cravend]

Some Sanchez league stats and where they would rank for us

Goals - 24 - 1st
Assists - 10 - 2nd
Take-ons - 103 - 1st
Shot accuracy - 58% - 3rd
Chances created - 78 - 3rd
Tackles - 39 - 3rd
Interceptions - 24 - 7th
Passes complete - 1204 - 9th
Pass accuracy - 73% - Last
Headed goals - 3 - 1st
Weak foot goals - 3 - Joint 1st
Outside the area - 3 - 2nd

 

[lancs blue]

Some Sanchez league stats and where they would rank for us

Goals - 24 - 1st
Assists - 10 - 2nd
Take-ons - 103 - 1st
Shot accuracy - 58% - 3rd
Chances created - 78 - 3rd
Tackles - 39 - 3rd
Interceptions - 24 - 7th
Passes complete - 1204 - 9th
Pass accuracy - 73% - Last
Headed goals - 3 - 1st
Weak foot goals - 3 - Joint 1st
Outside the area - 3 - 2nd

On the face of it, you'd say that was nowhere near good enough for a Pep team.

 

[ADegenerate]

I'd like to chime in on the 'they'll be happy if we win things' POV. It's total bullshit and I'm speaking from experience. I played travel baseball and AAU basketball (think academy level) from youth until my late teens. I was on the best teams in the state (hundreds of teams) and was the 10th or 11th best out of 12-15 players. I didn't play often and when I did it was vs garbage teams or I'd come in late in blowouts. On paper I played 3/10 games which isn't terrible but in reality I basically didn't add anything to the team and wasn't trusted in the vital moments. You aren't happy to win things, you're embarrassed and humiliated. You feel like you aren't good enough to be at the highest level (what every serious athlete needs to believe to maximize their chances).

It would piss me off when the coach would throw me in for the final few minutes in a blowout (think Sterling being put on for 5m in a 2-0 game). That's really not doing much positive for him psychologically ... but he gets a game on the stats sheet. I 'loved it' when Carlitos told Bobby Manc to F off, I'm not warming up, in the CL because that's what many of the second choice players dream of doing.

My final two years I dropped down to a lower rated squad and was the best player. We didn't win as much, which is never fun, but I felt valued and 'more alive' and that's more important than winning when you don't contribute much. It feels 'fake' and not as enjoyable as it appears on the outside.

Am I an outlier? I don't think so but if you think 'it's cool...they are fine, they are winning things' ... well then you're just lying to yourself. You can't be vocal or outspoken about your unhappiness in the situation because it's a bad look for yourself and comes off as a poor sport.

 

[Neville Kneville]

They made a similar song and dance over Nasri, only to not back Wenger.

Much has changed in that time, but Kroenke's nonchalant greed and Gazidi's kow-towing to the powers that be, make it unlikely in the extreme Arsenal will hold him and watch him walk for free.

Further, I'd wager Arsenal see this as the last chance to have him off to a club outside the PL, otherwise he'll be at City the following year and they'll have nothing but egg on their faces to show for it.

Well if they and Wenger, have not spoken about this prior to him signing the deal last week, it makes you wonder what they did actually talk about.

 

[Akiva]

I'd like to chime in on the 'they'll be happy if we win things' POV. It's total bullshit and I'm speaking from experience. I played travel baseball and AAU basketball (think academy level) from youth until my late teens. I was on the best teams in the state (hundreds of teams) and was the 10th or 11th best out of 12-15 players. I didn't play often and when I did it was vs garbage teams or I'd come in late in blowouts. On paper I played 3/10 games which isn't terrible but in reality I basically didn't add anything to the team and wasn't trusted in the vital moments. You aren't happy to win things, you're embarrassed and humiliated. You feel like you aren't good enough to be at the highest level (what every serious athlete needs to believe to maximize their chances).

It would piss me off when the coach would throw me in for the final few minutes in a blowout (think Sterling being put on for 5m in a 2-0 game). That's really not doing much positive for him psychologically ... but he gets a game on the stats sheet. I 'loved it' when Carlitos told Bobby Manc to F off, I'm not warming up, in the CL because that's what many of the second choice players dream of doing.

My final two years I dropped down to a lower rated squad and was the best player. We didn't win as much, which is never fun, but I felt valued and 'more alive' and that's more important than winning when you don't contribute much. It feels 'fake' and not as enjoyable as it appears on the outside.

Am I an outlier? I don't think so but if you think 'it's cool...they are fine, they are winning things' ... well then you're just lying to yourself. You can't be vocal or outspoken about your unhappiness in the situation because it's a bad look for yourself and comes off as a poor sport.

TL;DR "When I played professional sports, I wasn't happy even when winning things if I wasn't a regular starter. Therefore, others who play professional sports wouldn't be happy either."

I'm not sure I buy the "happy if winning things" argument either, at least in some cases (like say, Michy Batshuayi) but we are talking about a group of players that will all get rotated and all see regular play across multiple competitions, both starting and off the bench. This isn't the same as sitting on your ass for regular intervals and only getting on for the last five minutes.

Even if that was the case though, I'm not sure the club is at a stage where it cares as much as it once did. If you're good enough to play, you'll play. Competition, in this regard, is healthy and normal. Furthermore, City have entrenched themselves very much in "win now" mode in an attempt to make the most of the Guardiola years and get as far as we can. To not sign the best players available, would be detrimental to that.

Well if they and Wenger, have not spoken about this prior to him signing the deal last week, it makes you wonder what they did actually talk about.

For sure they probably did, but I think Wenger is doing the only thing he can do by suggesting the club won't sell Sanchez - making Sanchez out to be the bad guy in the event of a move and absolving himself, and the club, of liability. It also strengthens negotiations too, and is very much a predictable response all round.

They could yet hold onto Sanchez, but it's only really delaying the inevitable and it seems more likely to me that Wenger would want the money for transfers rather than an unhappy Sanchez for another season.

 

[117 M34]

I'd like to chime in on the 'they'll be happy if we win things' POV. It's total bullshit and I'm speaking from experience. I played travel baseball and AAU basketball (think academy level) from youth until my late teens. I was on the best teams in the state (hundreds of teams) and was the 10th or 11th best out of 12-15 players. I didn't play often and when I did it was vs garbage teams or I'd come in late in blowouts. On paper I played 3/10 games which isn't terrible but in reality I basically didn't add anything to the team and wasn't trusted in the vital moments. You aren't happy to win things, you're embarrassed and humiliated. You feel like you aren't good enough to be at the highest level (what every serious athlete needs to believe to maximize their chances).

It would piss me off when the coach would throw me in for the final few minutes in a blowout (think Sterling being put on for 5m in a 2-0 game). That's really not doing much positive for him psychologically ... but he gets a game on the stats sheet. I 'loved it' when Carlitos told Bobby Manc to F off, I'm not warming up, in the CL because that's what many of the second choice players dream of doing.

My final two years I dropped down to a lower rated squad and was the best player. We didn't win as much, which is never fun, but I felt valued and 'more alive' and that's more important than winning when you don't contribute much. It feels 'fake' and not as enjoyable as it appears on the outside.

Am I an outlier? I don't think so but if you think 'it's cool...they are fine, they are winning things' ... well then you're just lying to yourself. You can't be vocal or outspoken about your unhappiness in the situation because it's a bad look for yourself and comes off as a poor sport.

Are you James milner?