Alexis Sanchez’s move to FC Barcelona in 2011 was an exciting one. The Udinese winger was young and promising, and the Catalan giants pounced to grab his signature in a move that promised more firepower in the Blaugrana attack.
Though the Chilean had a wonderful first few months at the Camp Nou club, the resulting years were quite disappointing. Sanchez struggled to find his footing and became well known for missing easy chances.
Patience grew very thin for the Barcelona fans that thought it best to cash in on the young winger, but the club continued to show faith in him. Eventually, the Chilean repaid that trust by finishing last season in a very strong way and cementing his place in the squad.
Then came the World Cup. Sanchez grew even more into a leader for Chile and fans were excited about his next year with Barcelona. But all of that came to an abrupt end when the Catalan giants sold him to Arsenal and moved quickly to sign Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.
So far this season Sanchez has managed to score 11 goals for Arsenal while dishing out three assists, via WhoScored.com. Meanwhile Suarez, who was suspended for the first few months of the season, has yet to score his first goal for Barcelona, but he has managed to get involved in the attack a lot and give a few big assists.
At this point in the season there may not be much to compare the two forwards. Yet, fans may soon be asking themselves if selling Sanchez to fund the move for Suarez was worth it. Let’s take a quick look, shall we?
To begin with, it must be noted that Sanchez and Suarez are two vastly different players.
Sanchez likes to play out wide and cut inside; he is very much a winger who can play like a striker. On top of his attacking ability, the Chilean has a wonderful work rate and is always looking to help his teammates out in defense.
Suarez, on the other hand, is a pure striker. He is best when he is centrally placed and the target man up front. However, he is also more than capable of setting up his teammates for scoring opportunities and gives far more assists than the average center forward.
That being said, Barcelona lost a lot when Sanchez left. The Blaugrana defense, which has been struggling for years, was lucky to have the Chilean tracking back to help out in defense.
With Sanchez’s work rate no longer available, and Barcelona playing with three forwards who rarely track back, the defense is not getting much help at all.
Now the focal point of an attacking system, Sanchez is thriving at Arsenal. He has been the face of the Gunners going forward, and it is understandable that many Barcelona fans would feel as though they have lost a lot in the Chilean.
Meanwhile, Luis Suarez is just beginning to find his role in the Blaugrana system.
After being banned from playing for the first few months of the season, Suarez is finally on the pitch, but his time off clearly had an effect on him. Though he did get to train with his Barcelona teammates, the chemistry isn’t quite there right now.
Suarez’s pure class has showed on several occasions, but he has yet to have that defining moment that reminds everyone of what he used to do at Liverpool.
When it really comes down to it, Suarez is a goalscorer who also loves setting up teammates. He has been doing a fine job of supplying for Lionel Messi and Neymar, but the Camp Nou has yet to see Suarez as the monster in front of goal that he has been throughout his career.
With these two forwards being so different, it is hard to make a judgment on whether or not Barcelona did the right thing. Had Sanchez stayed at the Camp Nou, perhaps his defensive contribution would have saved the Catalans in a game or two.
Maybe his newfound form would have given Barcelona a dangerous attacker on the right-wing without the club having to turn to Pedro. Or, perhaps, nothing would have changed for the Barcelona attack.
While it is clear that Suarez is still finding his rhythm in the Barcelona shirt, it is also obvious that Sanchez could have helped out a lot so far this season.
To answer the question, “Did Barcelona make the right choice in selling Alexis Sanchez to fund their move for Luis Saurez?”—No. The club was not right to let Sanchez leave to help them bring in the Uruguayan striker.
But that doesn’t mean buying Suarez was wrong of the club; in fact, he adds so much diversity to the attack that his purchase can only be seen as a win. No, the real mistake was selling Sanchez to fund the move, rather than selling Pedro.
Pedro, who has been far from his best form for nearly two seasons now, should have been the one to leave. Perhaps his time at La Masia made his Chilean counterpart the odd man out, but that was a mistake.
Imagine if Sanchez would have stayed while Suarez was brought in. The Barcelona attacking force would have been absolutely menacing. But instead, Suarez continues to learn the system, while Sanchez keeps Arsenal afloat.
These two moves can only be described as bittersweet. However, Barcelona could have sold Pedro instead, and the move for Suarez would have been a complete victory. Suarez will find his rhythm in the Barcelona shirt; he has too much quality for that not to happen. Yet, Barcelona’s pre-ban transfer window could have been so much better.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1urOp8e
via IFTTT November 23, 2014 at 04:30AM
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