Arsene Wenger has admitted that Alexis Sánchez’s strenuous workload over the international break means he may have to be rested for this weekend’s Barclays Premier League game against Watford.
The forward played 180 minutes for Chile as they beat both Brazil and Peru in their first two games on the road to the 2018 World Cup. Thanks in no small part to Sánchez’s three goals over those fixtures, Jorge Sampaoli’s side now sit joint top of the South American qualifying section, together with Uruguay and Ecuador.
Good news for Chile, though, is not necessarily good news for Wenger. Sánchez, as the Frenchman acknowledged, had a “difficult start” to the league season after returning late from winning the Copa America with his country in the summer.
He left for international duty a fortnight ago nursing a minor hip problem picked up in the 3-0 win against Manchester United and, though Wenger insisted that he was not surprised to see Sánchez play in both games for Chile, he does fear that he may not be ready for Vicarage Road on Saturday.
“He came off as you have seen against Manchester United with a hip problem, a problem with the rotator muscle,” he said. “He wanted to go [with Chile]. He played in the last two games and we have to see how he comes back. It is always a tricky situation Chile are trying to qualify for the World Cup and he is an important player for them, so they will use him if they can.
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“He is a guy that always wants to play so I knew that was always going to be a tricky situation. Let’s see what happens and how he comes back. He comes back at 2pm today and I don’t think there is a lot you can do [about the fact] he played. We have to see if we have to protect him in our next game or not.”
Should Sánchez not make it, Wenger is hopeful that Mesut Özil’s display against United – scoring one and creating another – will set the standard for the German for the rest of the season, with his manager insisting that the 27-year-old’s goal return should be better than the ten he has managed since he joined the club in 2013.
“You want from Mesut Özil to score as well in a big game and he did that against Manchester United,” he said. “When you are an offensive player that is an important part of it. I believe there are goals in him and in that game he has shown it.”