8 months into his Manchester United career, the jury is still out on whether Alexis Sanchez is a good fit for Jose Mourinho’s side. During his time at Arsenal, Sanchez was The Gunners’ leading forward, whether playing on the left-wing or as a central striker. The Chilean’s pace, aggression and high work-rate together with his world-class finishing ability made him one of the Premier League’s very best goal scorers during his time in north London.
When Manchester United beat rivals Manchester City to the signing of want-away Arsenal forward Sanchez, the red half of Manchester believed they were getting a player who would instantly bring their forward-line back among the domestic and continental elite. But 3 goals and 6 assists in 22 appearances for The Red Devils is a return below expectations and Sanchez has had his fair share of criticism for his perceived lack of form. But is it the former Barcelona man’s form that needs improving? Or is his Sanchez evolving and adapting to a new role in his new team?
Same Position, New Role
While Sanchez spent most of his Arsenal career playing on the left-wing of Arsène Wenger’s attacking 4-2-3-1, his most prolific season for The Gunners came in 2016/17 when Alexis played most of his games as a central number 9. But since Sanchez’s arrival in January of this year, Jose Mourinho has preferably deployed a 4-3-3 system with Alexis positioned wide left of the front 3.
Despite common misconceptions, Jose’s United look to dominate possession in most games that they play, particularly when they face supposedly inferior opposition. United typically play a holding number 6 at the base of midfield (usually Matic although lately it’s been Fellaini) which gives cover to the full-backs who are charged with getting up the pitch and supplying United’s wide options in the attacking phase of play. With Luke Shaw re-emerging as United’s first choice left-back, Jose’s side have a left-back who can dominate the left flank single-handedly and this allows Sanchez to drift inside and get closer to Romelu Lukaku.
In tandem with Mesut Özil at Arsenal, Sanchez was part of a world class duo at The Emirates. Özil the mercurial creator and Sanchez the tenacious goal-getter. But perhaps that role masked Sanchez’s creative talents and his eye for a pass. Given that he plays a supporting role to Romelu Lukaku in this United team, Sanchez has adapted his game and showed he can mix it with the best of them when it comes to key passes.
