How do you explain Alexis Sanchez?

[AshRK]

This may sound wierd but I do believe media also had a huge role in his downfall. He hadn't even kicked a ball and all you could hear was about his contract , how much his agent got or how much his dogs food cost. Even after his first game in FA cup where he was reasonably good, the first report I saw about him was about his salary getting compared to our opponents that day. These things do matter in players performance and has a negative impact on their confidence and even influence the fans negatively. It wasn't even a month and fans started moaning about his salary and how expensive he was by quoting all the bs media news.

Ofcourse Sanchez has also to be blamed as he never produced the goods but he was always facing a uphill task. He would have always been considered a flop irrespective of how good he would have been. Sad reality.

 

[Owen06]

I don't think his form just fell off the cliff like people are suggesting.

I remember his first few games against yeovil,tottenham, huddersfield, Newcastle and swansea he was actually very good in those games what affected his game is what has been affecting our other attackers, the lack of pattern to our football.

A lot of times he couldn't get a single shot at goal because he couldn't receive one pass upfront, he had to always drop deep in other recieve the ball.he's 29 when you are buying attackers of that age you don't overwork them but that was exactly what we did.he had to beat 3 or 4 players in other to get a shot away.

Sanchez was a top player for arsenal and barcelona,teams that are known for their good offensive play,yes with the money he's earning he should be doing better but we've certainly contributed to his bad form.

 

[lsd]

Didn't Saha sign in January and slotted in straight away scoring for fun ?

 

[Nytram Shakes]

I was one of the few who warned this was not the bargain deal that many seemed to think it was. My reasons were

• Wingers coming up to 30 have to adapt their game as they generally lose a yard of pace, we didn't know how Sanchez was going to deal with this.
• His main position is left wing, at the time both Martial and Rashford were playing well in that position and it would upset the balance (which is exactly what happened)
• His wage demands were insane, Sanchez was a good player but even at his peak, I would have not have made him the best-paid player in premier league history. We made him the best-paid player in premier league history for what would be his declining years. Utterly mental
• His wages would upset the wage structure at the club and suddenly raise the expectations of every player at the club and every player we bring in. It would also cause disharmony having a player earning that much.

At the time I was mocked for these views. I think people (woodward included) just get a bit caught up in big-name signings and don't think it through.

 

[always_hoping]

Had a bad feeling when he signed that he would become a total flop. The last few months of his Arsenal career there was clear signs that he was finished as a top level footballer the opposite of RVP in 2012. Doesn't have the pace he once had and his attitude is on the pitch results in too much sulking.

The outrageous wages are the only reason he came to United and he's part of Deadwood FC now and needs to be sold this summer ASAP.

 

[Yorkeontop]

He's done.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...turning-arsenal-exhausted-man-world-football/

 

[RepardReece]

I don't think his form just fell off the cliff like people are suggesting.

I remember his first few games against yeovil,tottenham, huddersfield, Newcastle and swansea he was actually very good in those games what affected his game is what has been affecting our other attackers, the lack of pattern to our football.

A lot of times he couldn't get a single shot at goal because he couldn't receive one pass upfront, he had to always drop deep in other recieve the ball.he's 29 when you are buying attackers of that age you don't overwork them but that was exactly what we did.he had to beat 3 or 4 players in other to get a shot away.

Sanchez was a top player for arsenal and barcelona,teams that are known for their good offensive play,yes with the money he's earning he should be doing better but we've certainly contributed to his bad form.

This, the way we play, Sanchez has always been very hardworking up front, look at his first load of games for us, he was running around everywhere, our team on the whole is not hardworking, we are very still movement wise. So whenever Sanchez moved the opposing players could easily track him and we don't have the talent to play to his strengths. Therefore, he started dropping deep and no one made runs for him to pass to forwards.
It's not just Alexis Sanchez though, its the whole attacking front of our team, and it's been going on for a long time now. We struggle to score goals and be fluent up top (disregarding the first load of games when OGS took over).

Yes Sanchez was on decline before we signed him but IMO our style of play and poor offensive play has just enhanced his decline. He would have fit in Manchester City and I reckon he'd be just fine over there.

 

[RedRonaldo]

He's done. It has came earlier than expected, but some players peaked early and then fall drastically when supposedly still in their prime, I guess he is one of those.

 

[iHicksy]

I posted when we signed that I was worried that this would turn out to be another Rooney Saga, I remember speaking to an Arsenal supporting friend at work and he warned me that Sanchez wasn't the player he once was in his final season for Arsenal. He said his legs looked like they had gone and what we would see if he would run around a lot but that he would lose the ball more than any other player on the pitch. All of this unfortunately came to pass.

 

[Cockney Phil]

Never wanted him and thought it was a stupid move. First, he wasn’t playing well for Arsenal at the time and second he already had a negative reputation among their fans for being troublesome. I thought it would fuel further problems, especially since that draw at Anfield, the defeat at HT and our inconsistent form.

When I heard we out bid the Bitters to get him I suspected we’d fallen for a con trick. I posted a text to Full Time Devils during their Thursday phone-in and got ridiculed. Now their mouthy pundit Gaz regularly calls Sanchez crap.

Better players have come to us and failed for a variety of reasons. In this case its been about his attitude at Arsenal being transferred to us, reinforced by mega bucks and a watertight contract. Has to be the most foolish decision in living memory.

 

[thegregster]

He started playing first team football at 15.
Too many miles on the clock.

 

[Adamsk7]

Similar to Rooney, he started earlier and had lots of miles in his legs by age 30. Also similar to Rooney, he’s of quite a stocky build and as he’s got older, he’s added more mass (muscle) and that’s also slowed him down slightly.
Unlike Rooney, it all happened even quicker because he relied on his acceleration and fleet of foot more than Wayne did.

 

[johanovic]

Never wanted him and thought it was a stupid move. First, he wasn’t playing well for Arsenal at the time and second he already had a negative reputation among their fans for being troublesome. I thought it would fuel further problems, especially since that draw at Anfield, the defeat at HT and our inconsistent form.

When I heard we out bid the Bitters to get him I suspected we’d fallen for a con trick. I posted a text to Full Time Devils during their Thursday phone-in and got ridiculed. Now their mouthy pundit Gaz regularly calls Sanchez crap.

Better players have come to us and failed for a variety of reasons. In this case its been about his attitude at Arsenal being transferred to us, reinforced by mega bucks and a watertight contract. Has to be the most foolish decision in living memory.

Agree with you totally and Mr Mourinho also decided to bench Martial and put his trust in this player. He´s seems as he´s either done because of burnout or perhaps he´s just had enough and can not motivate himself anymore. But get rid of him any way can a.s.a.p.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

We do not now if it was Jose or Woodward that wanted him? And did we buy him to try to catch City and improve our team, or did we do this partially to spite City?
These are questions that we do not know without some doubt.

What can be questioned is the amount of scouting that was behind the transfer. I think this is the most risky (probability*consequence) transfer we have done during the PL era. From a risk mitigating perspective, this transfer was as bad as they get.

1. There were signs over his last 6-12 months at Arsenal that he was in a physical decline. Should have been a big red flag, given that he has always been dependent on his exceptional mobility to beat defenders and creating opportunities. Given his age and number of years in the top flight including international tournaments during the summers, it was not unlikely that he was in a decline.
2. The reasoning for buying him: Best case scenario we bought him to try to catch City in the league... There where no sign that we would be able to catch them.
3. The size and length of the contract: Aging player, given a long and large contract making him the biggest earner at the club.

 

[johanovic]

We do not now if it was Jose or Woodward that wanted him? And did we buy him to try to catch City and improve our team, or did we do this partially to spite City?
These are questions that we do not know without some doubt.

What can be questioned is the amount of scouting that was behind the transfer. I think this is the most risky (probability*consequence) transfer we have done during the PL era. From a risk mitigating perspective, this transfer was as bad as they get.

1. There were signs over his last 6-12 months at Arsenal that he was in a physical decline. Should have been a big red flag, given that he has always been dependent on his exceptional mobility to beat defenders and creating opportunities. Given his age and number of years in the top flight including international tournaments during the summers, it was not unlikely that he was in a decline.
2. The reasoning for buying him: Best case scenario we bought him to try to catch City in the league... There where no sign that we would be able to catch them.
3. The size and length of the contract: Aging player, given a long and large contract making him the biggest earner at the club.

I do not know the inner working at United but I´m sure Mourinho had the final say on all his signings. I can not see Woodward coming to him and telling him to sign this or that player. I think many managers want total control over transfers and for example Zidane demanded that upon his return to Madrid. The DOF model is not without it´s faults but at the end of the day it must be a team effort and hopefully we are putting the right things in motion to change that. Mourinho and Van Gaal must carry a lot to the responisbilites of the failed signings at Untied. They were paid well and had the final say on all transfers, it just a shame they made so many wrong calls with Sanchez being the worst in United history.

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

As bad as he's been, being deployed on the left was never going to help.

Should have been played as striker or 10.

 

[redshaw]

Rooney and Van Persie dropped off quick, especially RVP. Wenger said later he hoped he timed RVP right but got it wrong by a year.

His first few games for us you can see he was playing very differently to the rest of our team, he was pressing and running hard while our players were holding positions and also got a good kicking from opposition players and got injured. Watch his later Arsenal games he provided a lot of balls into the box with players offering movement for passes and aerial threat, I actually did go back and watch a few, some fantastic headed goals scored from his balls in. He has no-one to cross to here and we lack movement. He also has upset the players and never gelled.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

I do not know the inner working at United but I´m sure Mourinho had the final say on all his signings. I can not see Woodward coming to him and telling him to sign this or that player. I think many managers want total control over transfers and for example Zidane demanded that upon his return to Madrid. The DOF model is not without it´s faults but at the end of the day it must be a team effort and hopefully we are putting the right things in motion to change that. Mourinho and Van Gaal must carry a lot to the responisbilites of the failed signings at Untied. They were paid well and had the final say on all transfers, it just a shame they made so many wrong calls with Sanchez being the worst in United history.

Again: We do not know for certain who made what decision in regards to transfers. The lack of transparency from the club in regards to how it operates and who is responsible for what makes this extremely difficult to make more than a educated guess based on some interviews, ITK people and so on... So how you can say that "Mourinho had the final say on all his signings" is not an argument... That is a statement based on rumors.
What i tried to point out was not who was the one(s) to blame for that transfer or made what decision. My point was that from a Risk management pov, the transfer does not make sense at all, and this transferprocess must have been made over a very short amount of time, or the people involved in the transfer must have neglected to perform an analysis over his performance over the last 6-12 months.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Arsenal fans were already saying it when we signed him, I think we just got sucked into the hype of pinching a rival's 'best' player, beating City to a player and getting flashbacks of how well RVP worked out.

I actually don't think he'd have done well wherever he went, if he'd gone City he'd have been an overpaid substitute and if he'd stayed at Arsenal he'd had continued his decline in form. We bought him off the back of his previous season.

 

[VeevaVee]

It's not physical laziness. The guy moves a lot. Either lack of application mentally or just doesn't work in this team.

 

[johanovic]

Again: We do not know for certain who made what decision in regards to transfers. The lack of transparency from the club in regards to how it operates and who is responsible for what makes this extremely difficult to make more than a educated guess based on some interviews, ITK people and so on... So how you can say that "Mourinho had the final say on all his signings" is not an argument... That is a statement based on rumors.
What i tried to point out was not who was the one(s) to blame for that transfer or made what decision. My point was that from a Risk management pov, the transfer does not make sense at all, and this transferprocess must have been made over a very short amount of time, or the people involved in the transfer must have neglected to perform an analysis over his performance over the last 6-12 months.

Agree with you that we do not know for certain BUT we have no DOF and I just can not see a man like Mourinho taking instructions from Woodward on who to sign. So neither you or me know precisely how this went down but due to us not having a DOF and the same model since Fergie was here I highly doubt that Sanchez would have been signed either at the request of Mourinho or approved by Mourinho.

 

[TsuWave]

Fat ,lazy

I don’t think these apply to Sanchez, to be fair

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Personally I don't buy anyone saying they knew about his decline etc etc. He scored 35 goals or something 6 months before and was well known to go through patches of bad form when he wasn't happy. City badly wanted him and he was available for no fee in exchange for a player we wanted rid of, imagine like bailly today. Was a good piece of business and his performances since is just one of those things in my view

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

He over did it. I think those two Copa Americas in succession didn't help him one bit.

 

[shamans]

Heavily relied on burst of pace. It went.

 

[Buster15]

Personally I don't buy anyone saying they knew about his decline etc etc. He scored 35 goals or something 6 months before and was well known to go through patches of bad form when he wasn't happy. City badly wanted him and he was available for no fee in exchange for a player we wanted rid of, imagine like bailly today. Was a good piece of business and his performances since is just one of those things in my view

Agree with that.
I was always impressed with his work ethnic at the Goonners and you are quite right that City were very keen to sign him.
City would certainly not sign a player in decline so I don't agree that he was.
As many have said, he has been very injury prone and often seems keen to go off.
So. In my view lack of confidence and and not fitting in to our type of play as well as not looking 100% fit are the most likely contributers to his performances.
Seemed like a good idea at the time though.

 

[steakpie]

I didn't have a problem signing the player, it was exciting.

I did have a problem with his wages and that we paid £20m (Mkhitaryan) when we could have paid nothing if we waiting a few months, that was frighteningly awful business.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

Agree with you that we do not know for certain BUT we have no DOF and I just can not see a man like Mourinho taking instructions from Woodward on who to sign. So neither you or me know precisely how this went down but due to us not having a DOF and the same model since Fergie was here I highly doubt that Sanchez would have been signed either at the request of Mourinho or approved by Mourinho.

Most likely Jose and Woodward+++ weere involed in the decision to buy Sanchez... So, all should take some blame. Can we leave it at that?

 

[Amadaeus]

I was one of the few who warned this was not the bargain deal that many seemed to think it was. My reasons were

• Wingers coming up to 30 have to adapt their game as they generally lose a yard of pace, we didn't know how Sanchez was going to deal with this.
• His main position is left wing, at the time both Martial and Rashford were playing well in that position and it would upset the balance (which is exactly what happened)
• His wage demands were insane, Sanchez was a good player but even at his peak, I would have not have made him the best-paid player in premier league history. We made him the best-paid player in premier league history for what would be his declining years. Utterly mental
• His wages would upset the wage structure at the club and suddenly raise the expectations of every player at the club and every player we bring in. It would also cause disharmony having a player earning that much.

At the time I was mocked for these views. I think people (woodward included) just get a bit caught up in big-name signings and don't think it through.

I was on that same boat. A very toxic signing. Even though, he was very talented, Martial and Rashford were doing well on the left. Willian would have made more sense than Sanchez at the time.

 

[Ali Dia]

It's not physical laziness. The guy moves a lot. Either lack of application mentally or just doesn't work in this team.

His team mates don’t seem to really like him either.

 

[jem]

Fat ,lazy ,overpaid, do you need anymore??

Except he doesn't strike me as lazy at all - he's always hustling and chasing when he's on the pitch (which is more than can be said for the likes of Martial and Lukaku.) But the quality just seems to have evaporated. It's mystifying.

 

[matherto]

Much like Rooney, if you have an all action style and you play multiple seasons without much rest then you're fecked earlier than normal.

He's lost his legs but he's not clever enough to work out what to do instead and reinvent himself and then all of the bad parts of his game masked by previous good ones have come to the fore because he can't cover them anymore.

 

[SCJY]

I kind of feel sorry for Sanchez. It's not really his fault he got paid so much. He did badly but the whole team is underperforming.

I really like Sanchez. He seems like a really nice, decent guy. Not really a mercenary type, that people try to paint him as. He used to be genuine talented.

The failure of Sanchez is a problem that is occurring far too often for comfort with United's signings.

 

[gerdm07]

He started playing first team football at 15.
Too many miles on the clock.

This. His legs are shot for the top levels.

 

[Ricardo de la Vega]

Think it correct to say most utd fans were in exultation when, in Jan 2018, the signing of Sanchez was confirmed. The vital piece in the jigsaw which was to take us to another level and challenge with the big guns. Apart from the wage issue this was surely a sure thing – a no brainer. We got our man! The aquisition of RVP still in our memories added undoubtedly to our excitment and expectations.

Looking back I still cannot get my head round such a collapse. I just cannot believe it hasn’t worked out. I mean the player was quality. Obviously up there with the other divas but always put a shift in for Arsenal. He carried them ffs over a period! So there were no comittment issues either.

So he’s the wrong side of 30 now and rumour has it he’s on his way to Italy.

My question to other caf-members is expressed in the op-title.

My other question is: Should we not keep him for another season, turn the page and hopefully get a tune out of him and start seeing the player he was?

Same way I explained it when we signed him and I got laughed at on the Caf. Little, nippy forward with no real position in a team with loads of them. Over the hill, and injuries have taken their toll.

 

[Josep Dowling]

He was already on the decline way Arsenal before January and we have all put it down to forms. Clearly he’s had niggling injuries that have kept it from full fitness and he’s lost a yard of pace.

I also think the type of players he played with doesn’t help. Many of our attackers are lazy, he would press whilst Lukaku and Martial wouldn’t do that.

Similarly when he played for Arsenal, Giroud would hold the ball up for him and they would have good interplay. That simply couldn’t happen with Lukaku upfront because he can neither trap a ball, pass a ball or hold the ball up. In essence I’m not taking all the blame from Sanchez but Lukaku has caused any attacker around him to look rubbish.

 

[Aloysius's Back 3]

All this city wanting him and Fred nonsense.

Seems like United as a club can be easily misdirected.

Sanchez as a LW didn't make sense and was a waste of money. Why would city want Sanchez when they have sterling & sane on the LW whilst having the undroppable Aguero in the centre with Jesus as back up. Wasn't Pep the manager that got rid of him too?

Also City play with one midfielder and two AM. How would Fred do what fernandinho does? Never mind they have gundogan for back up. Rodri now is a different player to Fred who plays all over the place.

 

[BlueHaze]

Quite simple actually. He didn't want to be here in the first place. Was City bound but ended up chosing us because of highly increased wages. When you're somewhere you don't want to be you are not happy and of course that will reflect your performances. If he went to City I can guarantee this would never happen. Hopefully we will have learned our lesson. Never sign mercenaries.

 

[Mr PG]

He could find his form but its a bit risky trying to find out, particularly with his wages. He might flourish somewhere else i.e. Diego Forlan, But Sanchez in 30+ so less likely. If he can be released and replaced its a no-brainer, BYE BYE.

Sanchez will eventually thrive again. He’s still all around better than martial

 

[Fluctuation0161]

He wasn't great during the first half of last season with Arsenal, a bit like Torres when he moved in January to Chelsea and everyone thought it was just the move that saw his form fall off of a cliff (the signs were there already)

I genuinely feel injuries have contributed massively this season to that continued downhill spiral though because don't forget despite how poor his first few months were last season he still put in excellent performances away to City and in the FA Cup SF against Spurs

He's done now though, through no fault of his own he's just lost 'it'

Yep. Did he have an injury in his last season (or just before) at Arsenal?

I feel he never quite recovered and has pulled a Torres.

 

[FattyFooty]

It was an absolutely disgusting transfer. It was obvious shit then. It's even worse now.