Per Mertesacker continues to marvel at Alexis Sánchez’s work ethic and, like many Arsenal supporters, he has been left to wonder what might have been this season had the forward been fully fit for longer.
Sánchez tore a hamstring at Norwich City on 29 November and he was ruled out for almost two months – a period when Arsenal played 10 matches in all competitions. Their results were good without him but when he returned, as a substitute in the home defeat to Chelsea on 24 January, it took him a number of weeks to get back up to speed, and Arsenal struggled.
Sánchez admitted recently that a fear of suffering another injury had affected his form but he is now back in his stride, albeit a little belatedly. Arsène Wenger has put him on the right, with the in-form Alex Iwobi having found a niche off the left and the manager believes that Sánchez is more unpredictable in this role, as he can go inside or out.
Sánchez has scored in Arsenal’s last four matches, including two in the home win over West Bromwich Albion on Thursday night, when he was the star turn and he now has 15 goals for the season.
Mertesacker mentioned how there had been “a couple of things” that the team had missed, and one of them has surely been the midfield presence of Santi Cazorla, who was also injured that day at Norwich. Cazorla has yet to return. But Mertesacker talked about how a fully fit Sánchez was “obviously” among them.
“When he was out, I think the statistics were not that bad for us – I think we played 10 games and won seven,” Mertesacker said. “But, obviously, if he is on the pitch, he always creates space for other players because he draws so much attention and that is the key to any team. He is a key member of our team and if he is fully fit, he makes the difference and that is always the case.
“Over the whole season, normally we need him healthy. He is the type of player who makes the difference and even when he is in Chile playing two World Cup qualifiers, he will be back on track in the right time, when he has had just two days’ rest in between. He is that type of player who gives everything to the team. Those team members are well appreciated.”
Mertesacker has endured a difficult period, having been in and out of the starting XI. He returned to the lineup against West Brom, after being an unused substitute in the club’s previous five matches. Wenger had preferred Gabriel Paulista to him.
“It is another perspective for me,” Mertesacker said. “But I try to give everything and be ready when selected. Obviously, Gabriel did really well and the boss gave him a chance. He deserved it but, nevertheless, I never give up and I’m fit. We need every player fit and everyone must contribute here otherwise we will have no success.
“It’s team sport. This is a different situation but sometimes you need to step back and learn something out of it. Now, I can train more than I ever could before. I sat back and looked at what I could do in training to really get better. Obviously, you are disappointed but I will never drop the respect for anyone here, even when I’m not playing.
“It was a good time for me – if you change a little bit of your perspective, you see how other people feel. We are 25 [in the squad] and not everyone can be selected. It is a learning process, even when you are 31 and a World Cup winner.”
