All eyes were on Arsenal’s summer signing Alexis Sanchez as the Gunners squared up to City in Sunday’s Community Shield. Starting on the right flank for Arsene Wenger’s side, the Chilean was afforded 45 minutes of the 3-0 win as he continues to build up his match fitness, although a failure to produce the goods has seen his popularity and ownership levels dip across the Fantasy games as we edge towards next weekend’s deadline.
In our first Technical Area piece of the 2014/15 campaign, we delve into the data from Sunday’s encounter to assess just how Sanchez fared in his first competitive match for his new club.
As shown by the average position map, Sanchez (number 17) found himself in possession further up the field than Santi Cazorla (19) or Aaron Ramsey (16), the other two players in the Gunners’ attacking midfield three behind Yaya Sanogo (22).
The Chilean may have only featured in the first-half of the 3-0 win but it’s clear how much his team-mates are looking to get the ball to him – Sanchez received a pass every 1.6 minutes which, along with Ramsey, was the quickest of any Arsenal player. Furthermore, his average of 1.1 minutes per touch was, along with Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, joint-top for the Gunners, despite being fielded on the flank.
When we focus on the final third statistics, it’s clear just how prominent the former Barcelona man could become in Arsenal’s attacking forays. Sanchez registered 26 touches in the final third – more than Cazorla (25) despite the latter playing 70 minutes – and also not far behind Ramsey’s 31. In addition, the new boy received more passes (18) than Cazorla’s 17 in this area, with Ramsey registering 21 over 86 minutes on the pitch.
A comparison with City’s David Silva, who managed 49 minutes, is also encouraging. The City man touched the ball every 1.1 minutes, though managed 21 touches in the final third and received 13 passes in this area.
When we assess the distribution, though, there’s clear room for improvement. The Chilean mustered a 60% pass completion rate, with just 15 of his 25 attempts finding their target; compared to the rest of the Gunners midfield starters, Ramsey (81%), Cazorla (85.7%), Mikel Arteta (86.5%) and Wilshere (87.8%), this suggests Sanchez is not yet on the same wavelength as his team-mates or is simply trying for the killer ball too often. It’s perhaps telling, though, that Sanchez’ 79.7% pass accuracy in La Liga last term was the lowest of any Barcelona outfield regular; bearing in mind he accrued 10 assists, this suggests that he’s willing to try a riskier pass more than most players.
Whilst his passing was less than impressive, Sanchez’ trickery out wide posed City plenty of problems – the Chilean’s seven dribbles was second only to Ramsey’s eight and underlines just how often he is willing to take on an opponent.
His overall impact shows he’s yet to settle, though. Sanchez managed just one touch in the penalty box, failed to fire any attempts on goal and produced just a single key pass – those numbers don’t exactly scream out to Fantasy managers but, as the final third stats indicate, Wenger’s side is looking to feed the former Barcelona man as much as possible high up the pitch and once he integrates with his new team-mates, we can surely expect an end product.
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