Arsene Wenger will ponder how to get the best out of Alexis Sanchez

Manager Wenger has to decide in what position to play versatile Chile international following expensive acquisition – as forward or winger, writes Richard Jolly.

Alexis Sanchez ‘is not ready’ for the new season yet. Olly Greenwood / AFP

If Arsenal came to see one expensive South American forward, they departed after being defeated by another. Alexis Sanchez’s first start at Arsenal was a rebirth for Radamel Falcao as a Monaco player. The £35 million (Dh216m) man offered hints of his quality. The £51 million forward decided the game, leading Monaco to a 1-0 victory.

A cruciate ligament injury had sidelined Falcao for seven months before Saturday’s draw against Valencia, the team that ended up winning the Emirates Cup title yesterday. His predatory instincts have not been dulled in his absence, as he illustrated in Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger’s belated first reunion with Monaco, 20 years after he was sacked.

The Arsenal manager has eschewed Falcao-style poachers in his recent attacking recruits. Instead, enter Sanchez – or as his shirt reads, “Alexis” – a more versatile, less-prolific player. The man Barcelona sold to accommodate Luis Suarez is a keynote signing who should be a fixture, but it remains to be seen which of two very different roles he occupies.

The Gunners have had a glimpse of both: Sanchez was used as a striker in his Saturday cameo against Benfica, but with target man Olivier Giroud starting, he began on the right flank versus Monaco, before leading the line when the Frenchman went off. “He looked better in the second half,” Wenger told BT Sport.

The manager faces a decision of opposites, between the more static Giroud and the speedy Sanchez, quick of foot and thought alike. He helped provide Arsenal’s clearest chance: a sharp Sanchez pass and a deft Santi Cazorla flick led to a rasping shot from Jack Wilshere, which was tipped away by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. The Chilean’s touch was less sure when an opportunity came his way. He slashed it wide.

“Physically he is not ready, of course,” said Wenger, although it was notable that Sanchez, part of the high-tempo Chile side who earned so many plaudits in the World Cup, pressed defenders in a similar style. Indeed, Sanchez played for 73 minutes, longer than expected. Perhaps the miserly Wenger is savouring the sight of his expensive purchases.

Falcao was Monaco’s flagship buy in 2013. His 2014 has been interrupted by injury, but a first goal since his return to fitness came when Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny in particular, left the Colombian unmarked to head in Joao Moutinho’s free kick. It may have been noted in the Spanish capital, although Monaco have maintained Falcao will not be following his compatriot James Rodriguez to Real Madrid.

His winner highlighted a problem for Arsenal. Their frailty at set-pieces was a feature of the game, which was not surprising, since their tallest defender was absent. Their three German World Cup winners will not return to training until after Sunday’s Community Shield, so Per Mertesacker will not feature in it.

Thomas Vermaelen is both injured and unsettled. Although Wenger said “nothing is closed to happening” when asked about the possibility of the Belgian joining Barcelona, it suggests that £16 million signee Calum Chambers, 19, will start the season in the heart of defence. His first-team career for Southampton was spent at right-back, although he has played in central roles at the junior level.

His teammates were subdued. “Monaco were sharper and stronger in every challenge,” Wenger said.

The officials, like some players, gave the impression they are not yet ready for the forthcoming season. They were guilty of a glaring error, awarding a free kick when Subasic scythed down substitute Chuba Akpom two yards inside the Monaco penalty box. “It is a pre-season friendly so we don’t want to start moaning about the referee,” Wenger said.

Akpom continued a trend in the Emirates Cup, when Arsenal’s brightest forwards have been the back-up strikers. The goal-shy Yaya Sanogo scored four times in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Benfica, while Joel Campbell provided the other. Yet the major selection dilemmas revolve around Sanchez, not the stand-ins.

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