Arsenal must protect 'world class' Alexis Sanchez, says Jamie Redknapp

 

Arsene Wenger may be wise to rest 'dynamite' Alexis Sanchez for Arsenal's trip to Watford, says Jamie Redknapp.

Arsene Wenger has a dilemma this weekend - should he play Alexis Sanchez or give his main man a rest?
Sanchez has been in great form. He's scored nine goals in his last five matches for club and country - including two great efforts in the 3-0 win over Manchester United before the international break.

However, there is a concern about his fitness. He was substituted against United with a hip problem but flew off and played in both of Chile's World Cup qualifiers.
If Wenger doesn't play him - or starts him on the bench - he'll be letting Watford off the hook. Sanchez is the Arsenal player they'd least be looking forward to facing on Saturday Night Football.

But if Wenger does start Sanchez, and he gets injured, the manager will be kicking himself.
Sanchez has done a lot of travelling of late, played a lot of games and Wenger needs to be careful with him.
But that debate highlights how good Sanchez has been recently.
He won the Copa America with Chile in the summer and when he first came back he maybe wasn't as sharp as he would have liked. But confidence is a big factor, too. He scored a hat-trick against Leicester at the end of September and since then his tail has been up and he's been playing great.

He's dynamite, a brilliant player. Four or five weeks ago people were saying is he the same player? Is he a one-season wonder? Now you look at him and we're talking about him being one of the best in the world. And you can't disagree with that.
He's a joy to watch. In every single game - and I imagine in every single training session - he works so hard. He chases so many lost causes. You can see why they Arsenal fans adore him.
That's why Wenger needs to look after him. Perhaps starting him on the bench and having him as an option to come on in the final half hour would be the best approach.

Alexis Sanchez has been in fine form, scoring nine in five for club and country

However, Arsenal's win over Manchester United was pretty much the perfect team performance - and that would give Wenger confidence in resting his main man this weekend.
Against United it wasn't just about Sanchez. Everyone was playing to their potential and they blew United away.
It was a performance that reminded us of everything Arsenal can do well. We spend so much time talking about what Arsenal can't do and what they should do that we forget what they can do.

Going forward Arsenal are such a threat. Along with Sanchez, they have Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil creating chances for the striker and Ozil, in particular, is a player I love watching.
Although he runs more than most his languid style isn't everyone's cup of tea. He's not an English-type player, running around, showing effort but some of his passes are sensational.

Then, up front, Theo Walcott has surprised me. I've said in this column before that I think he's a better wide man but he's been brilliant in that role. He's been electric. When he's on form like that, he gives you a different dimension.

Walcott is certainly one of the catalysts for Arsenal. I like Olivier Giroud - he's a good, honest player - but Theo has that blistering pace and Watford's defence will be scared stiff of that on Saturday.
Now Arsenal need to find consistency. This year is probably the most open Premier League title race ever and Arsenal are as good as anybody on their day. But titles are won by collecting points week-in, week-out.

The partnership of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo is the one Arsenal will have to watch out for. They create a lot of chances between them and Ighalo's pace on the break could be a danger. If he gets through one-on-one with anybody he can cause real problems. He's a very good player, very talented and has certainly had no problems adjusting to the Premier League.
However, given the way Arsenal are playing, with their form and confidence I'd expect them to have too much for Watford on Saturday. With or without Sanchez in their starting XI.