Arsene Wenger's decision not to start Alexis Sanchez was indefensible
Arsene Wenger looked at his away trip to Liverpool, where there was a top four spot on the line. He saw a good team that hasn't lost to a fellow top six foe all season. He knew that Mesut Ozil was out sick. And, presumably, he knew that Alexis Sanchez is far and away his best player.
Despite all that, Wenger chose not to start Alexis.
Arsenal took the field to start the match with Alexis sitting on the bench, capable of only watching as Liverpool battered the Gunners from the opening whistle. He was sitting when Roberto Firmino scored after nine minutes. And when the Gunners did little in the way of threatening a vulnerable Liverpool defense. And when Sadio Mane made it 2-0. And when Arsenal went into the dressing room at halftime lucky to only be behind by two goals.
Wenger tried to fix his mistake in the second half, inserting Alexis, and it paid off immediately with the Chilean setting up an Arsenal goal not even 10 minutes after he came on.
For most of the second half, Arsenal looked downright competent. They got a goal, were a threat going forward and, on a couple occasions, had opportunities to equalize. Much of their threat came through Alexis, who drew the attention of Liverpool defenders all half. With that, and his creativity, Alexis' teammates were allowed to run free, get the ball in dangerous places and, in the case of Danny Welbeck, finish exquisitely.
Amazingly, playing your best player makes your team better.
Prior to the match, Wenger said that he was opting for a more fast and physical team that he thought would better match up with Liverpool. Olivier Giroud and Welbeck started up top as a result. And that's perfectly fine and reasonable, but then Alexis should have started instead of Alex Iwobi or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain behind them, not on the bench.
All of this comes as Wenger faces more heat than ever. His contract expires after the season and there is plenty of talk that he will not be back with the Gunners next season. Fans have been calling for his ouster, and that was when Arsenal were in the top four. After the loss to Liverpool, they no longer are, now sitting in fifth place and without a Champions League place if the season ended today.
Maybe Arsenal would have lost regardless -- likely, considering Liverpool haven't lost to a top six team all season and this match was at Anfield -- but now there's a clear awful decision on his part that killed almost any chance they had. Now Wenger will have to answer for that, as if he didn't have enough pressure on him already. And, frankly, there is no good answer for it.
