Main PageWenger relieved as Sanchez sets pace
London - Arsene Wenger believes Alexis Sanchez's
tireless display in Arsenal's FA Cup win against Hull
proves the Chile forward has the stamina to lead the
Gunners' challenge for silverware.
Despite playing three times in seven days over the
festive period, Sanchez looked remarkably fresh as
he helped the holders kick off their defence of the
Cup with a 2-0 third round success at the Emirates
Stadium on Sunday.
Wenger had considered resting Sanchez against the
Tigers but, with a victory essential after last week's
lacklustre defeat at Southampton, he felt the former
Barcelona star would be a vital presence.
Sanchez repaid Wenger's faith by delivering the
corner that set up Per Mertesacker's first half
opener and he capped a lively performance with a
fine finish from the edge of the penalty area in the
closing stages.
The 26-year-old has now scored 16 times in his
debut season with the Gunners and Wenger is
confident that, unlike many foreign stars who
struggle to adapt to the gruelling demands of English
football, Sanchez will still be going strong when the
trophies are handed out in May.
"He always looked dangerous," Wenger said. "He is
incisive, penetrating and has a good change of
direction. He is interesting to watch because he has
a good fighting spirit as well.
"I was tempted to rest him but I knew it was an
important game for us and he seemed ready.
"I hope we can keep this level of energy for the
whole season. When a player is confident it is
important to keep them playing.
"He has the physical potential to recover very quickly
and our tests show he doesn't seem to have any
fatigue problems."
After a frustratingly inconsistent first half of the
season, Wenger knew Arsenal could ill-afford
another setback on Sunday and he took heart from
the clinical way his players stuck to the task of killing
off lacklustre Hull.
"I believe we had a serious performance. We were in
control. It is a positive game because we created
many chances," Wenger said.
"It took us a while to get the second goal so you
never know what can happen but overall we had a
good performance."
Wenger was also pleased Theo Walcott made his
first start for a year as the England winger stepped
up his recovery from a serious knee injury sustained
against Tottenham in the FA Cup third round last
season.
Walcott lasted 76 minutes, showing a few glimpses
of his blistering pace and prompting Wenger to say:
"There were some positive signs, he was dangerous.
"He has not lost the quality of his runs. He lacks a
little the competition because he has been out for a
year, but what he has done today after being out so
long is quite positive."
Just eight months after suffering the heartache of
blowing a two-goal lead in the FA Cup final against
Arsenal, this was a tame exit for Hull.
Manager Steve Bruce made 10 changes after
deciding the fight to avoid relegation from the
Premier League was more important than another
cup run.
"It is a fair result, we huffed and puffed but didn't
have any cutting edge to make the cup tie come
alive," Bruce said.
"It was a big ask to come to the Emirates after three
games in six days.
"It wasn't a case of disrespecting the cup because we
had one of the best days of our lives in the
competition last year."
With the survival fight in mind, Bruce reaffirmed his
interest in signing former Tottenham striker Jermain
Defoe from FC Toronto.
"Most clubs in our position would like a player like
Jermain," he said.
"If there is a chance, we would be interested in him,
but I don't want to get the hopes up of all the Hull
supporters. He might be too expensive."
tireless display in Arsenal's FA Cup win against Hull
proves the Chile forward has the stamina to lead the
Gunners' challenge for silverware.
Despite playing three times in seven days over the
festive period, Sanchez looked remarkably fresh as
he helped the holders kick off their defence of the
Cup with a 2-0 third round success at the Emirates
Stadium on Sunday.
Wenger had considered resting Sanchez against the
Tigers but, with a victory essential after last week's
lacklustre defeat at Southampton, he felt the former
Barcelona star would be a vital presence.
Sanchez repaid Wenger's faith by delivering the
corner that set up Per Mertesacker's first half
opener and he capped a lively performance with a
fine finish from the edge of the penalty area in the
closing stages.
The 26-year-old has now scored 16 times in his
debut season with the Gunners and Wenger is
confident that, unlike many foreign stars who
struggle to adapt to the gruelling demands of English
football, Sanchez will still be going strong when the
trophies are handed out in May.
"He always looked dangerous," Wenger said. "He is
incisive, penetrating and has a good change of
direction. He is interesting to watch because he has
a good fighting spirit as well.
"I was tempted to rest him but I knew it was an
important game for us and he seemed ready.
"I hope we can keep this level of energy for the
whole season. When a player is confident it is
important to keep them playing.
"He has the physical potential to recover very quickly
and our tests show he doesn't seem to have any
fatigue problems."
After a frustratingly inconsistent first half of the
season, Wenger knew Arsenal could ill-afford
another setback on Sunday and he took heart from
the clinical way his players stuck to the task of killing
off lacklustre Hull.
"I believe we had a serious performance. We were in
control. It is a positive game because we created
many chances," Wenger said.
"It took us a while to get the second goal so you
never know what can happen but overall we had a
good performance."
Wenger was also pleased Theo Walcott made his
first start for a year as the England winger stepped
up his recovery from a serious knee injury sustained
against Tottenham in the FA Cup third round last
season.
Walcott lasted 76 minutes, showing a few glimpses
of his blistering pace and prompting Wenger to say:
"There were some positive signs, he was dangerous.
"He has not lost the quality of his runs. He lacks a
little the competition because he has been out for a
year, but what he has done today after being out so
long is quite positive."
Just eight months after suffering the heartache of
blowing a two-goal lead in the FA Cup final against
Arsenal, this was a tame exit for Hull.
Manager Steve Bruce made 10 changes after
deciding the fight to avoid relegation from the
Premier League was more important than another
cup run.
"It is a fair result, we huffed and puffed but didn't
have any cutting edge to make the cup tie come
alive," Bruce said.
"It was a big ask to come to the Emirates after three
games in six days.
"It wasn't a case of disrespecting the cup because we
had one of the best days of our lives in the
competition last year."
With the survival fight in mind, Bruce reaffirmed his
interest in signing former Tottenham striker Jermain
Defoe from FC Toronto.
"Most clubs in our position would like a player like
Jermain," he said.
"If there is a chance, we would be interested in him,
but I don't want to get the hopes up of all the Hull
supporters. He might be too expensive."
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