3) Wenger’s decision to drop Alexis Sanchez backfires
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Why a manager would bench his best player for a big game was a question that baffled everyone when the starting lineups were announced. With Ozil already out due to illness, why would you bench your only other world class attacker – and also the Premier League’s top goalscorer – who could truly make a difference?
Whether it was to rest him before what is essentially a dead rubber against Bayern Munich or whether it was to send a message to him that he was not indispensable following his various antics this season (and the contract impasse), Wenger chose the wrong night to do so.
“We’re going with Giroud and Welbeck up front because we will need to be a bit more direct and strong in the air.” – Wenger
Except this was never going to work without any service from the wings. Hector Bellerin had his hands full with Philippe Coutinho while Nacho Monreal had the slippery Sadio Mane to deal with – meaning both full-backs were pegged near the half-line.
Alex Iwobi played a central role while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the only one who managed to put in a cross or two which were easily dealt with by the centre-backs.
The result? Arsenal were absolutely dire in the first half and looked like a team without a soul. Going two goals down at Anfield in 40 minutes saw a visibly defeated and frustrated Wenger on the bench.
