Player Focus: Alexis Impact Could Prove Crucial in Barcelona Clash

“The performance zone is where you are focused and relaxed and that is what is difficult in sport. Sometimes when you play against your former club you are not necessarily in that zone.” Arsene Wenger is clearly keen to remind Alexis Sanchez to remain calm and collected ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Barcelona. The Chilean left for Arsenal back in 2014 and will be expected to face his former employers for the first time at the Emirates tonight. 

Whenever any player faces their former team, emotions will understandably run high and Alexis, a performer who plays with his heart on his sleeve, is likely to be no different. As Wenger mentioned, the Chilean needs to be in the “performance zone” against the European champions, having only recently returned from "the red zone". Alexis is by far and away Arsenal’s highest rated player (8.39) in the Champions League this season and the Gunners boss needs the Chile international to be firing on all cylinders against Barcelona. 

That hasn’t been the case of late for Alexis upon his return from injury. On his six competitive appearances following his recovery, the 27-year-old has just one goal to his name, that coming in the 2-1 win over Burnley. He failed to have the desired impact against Hull on Saturday, coming off the bench in the latter stages of the game as the Gunners failed to break down a resilient Tigers outfit. 

It was a similar story against Southampton as Saints held firm to secure a point in the capital. In both fixtures, the opposition goalkeeper - Eldin Jakupovic and Fraser Forster, respectively - were awarded the WhoScored man of the match award. Over the two fixtures, Alexis mustered a total of eight shots, yet was left frustrated having failed to hit the back of the net. Indeed, since sustaining a hamstring problem against Norwich back in November, the attacker has struggled. 

This comes as little shock given the number of games Alexis has played since signing for Arsenal, which for club and country, sits at 104, including Chile’s four World Cup matches. Fatigue is evidently playing a part in a lack of form, with this season seeing Alexis struggle for consistency. Nonetheless, in the Champions League, he has excelled at times. Only Yacine Brahimi (7) is averaging more successful dribbles per game than Alexis (6.4), while an average of 2.4 key passes per game ranks among the top 20 players. 

However, his three best performances came against Dinamo Zagreb (7.93 and 9.57) and Olympiacos (9.76), opponents Arsenal were expected to overcome, though the Gunners lost two of the three games. In the two group stage meetings with Bayern Munich, he failed to shine, with the 2-0 home win over the Bundesliga side actually his lowest rated (still respectable at 7.08) in the Champions League this term. 

It was a game that Arsenal were largely on the back foot for, before twice hitting Bayern on the counter attack. Against Barcelona tonight, the Gunners are not expected to dominate possession, with the Blaugrana averaging the second most possession (64.7%) in the competition. It’s no coincidence, though, that his two worst rated performances in the Champions League this season came in matches where Arsenal struggled to see much of the ball. 

Alexis, while adept with the ball at his feet, is at times guilty of adopting a tunnel-vision approach to goal, which while effective against lesser teams, can come back to haunt the Gunners against the big hitters. Only Hulk (5.3) is being dispossessed more times per game in the Europe’s elite competition than Alexis (4.4). Running into blind alleys against a team of Barcelona’s ilk will indeed hinder Arsenal’s chances of progressing to the next round of the competition. Of course, there is likely to be space to exploit should he start on the left flank as expected. 

Dani Alves is not one to remain stationed in defence and will look to push forward and support the Barcelona attack at any given opportunity. If the Brazilian is nullified, Alexis has the driving ability to capitalise on Alves’ inclination to join the offensive. With the tenacity he brings to the side, he is one who can help limit the Barcelona right-back’s influence, though it’s vital Alexis shakes off the rustiness he has shown in recent weeks. 

While Alexis will be eager to prove why Barcelona were wrong to sell him in the first place, he needs to rediscover the form shown prior to his hamstring strain in order to give Arsenal a stronger chance of claiming a win against La Liga's top team. However, it’s of the utmost importance Alexis move away from his conventional approach - head down and running into danger rather than playing an intelligent pass to a teammate - if the Gunners are to upset the odds at the Emirates.

Do you think Alexis Sanchez will come back to haunt Barcelona at the Emirates tonight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below