Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Alexis Sanchez is still feeling his way back, but insists he will be ready to show his former club Barcelona what they are missing over the upcoming Champions League last 16 tie.
Sanchez came on for another lacklustre display off the bench in Saturday’s 0-0 FA Cup draw at home to Hull City. The Chile international has been one of Wenger’s key men since his arrival but has struggled to rediscover his form of late after missing the festive schedule with a hamstring injury.
Online poll: Arsenal v Barcelona – who is man of the match in their Champions League last 16 tie?
Wenger, however, feels assured Sanchez will recover the best of his swashbuckling form with the inspiration of going against Barcelona, whom Wenger signed from the Catalan giants in 2014.
“Don’t worry about Tuesday, he’ll be tuned in,” he said.
“I think it’s more focus. Sanchez – I don’t think he was completely ready to come on. It looked like that but he grows with the game.
“He has a game based on risk and so when he’s not completely, completely highly tuned in it becomes dangerous.”
Sanchez is likely to start the game on Tuesday while the likes of Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are also set to return having been rested completely at the weekend.
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Also see: The National's Champions League last 16 landing page
In preparing for Barcelona, meanwhile, Wenger added he thinks it is Luis Suarez who is making Barca tick as he prepares his Arsenal team to face the reigning European champions on Tuesday night in the tie’s first leg.
The Uruguay forward scored his 41st goal of the season in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Las Palmas on Saturday and is part of a formidable attacking trio at the Camp Nou, alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.
But, if things had worked out differently, the 29-year-old could have been running out for Arsenal on Tuesday after the club failed in a bid to sign Suarez from Premier League rivals Liverpool in 2013 before he moved to Spain 12 months later.
While Messi, the world player of the year, and Neymar will again command attention at the Emirates Stadium, arguably more eyes will be on Suarez following his stint in England and the history of the failed £40 million (Dh210m) plus £1 bid lodged by Arsenal.
And Wenger, too, feels Suarez has brought something new to Barcelona which has helped them to reach new heights under Luis Enrique.
Asked if he ever thinks ‘what if’ he had signed Suarez, Wenger replied: “Not now. It happened to me before but not now.
“He’s a player there and we have to keep him quiet on Tuesday night. We have to analyse what we do and do it well and together. Individually all their players are difficult to stop. We have to find a way to do it collectively.
“Camaraderie. I believe Suarez gives that to a team. He did it at Liverpool, he did it playing with Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan (for Uruguay) and did it well.
“Suarez is the kind of guy who manages to create that spirit in teams. I believe that apart from the individual talent the three have, they have a good understanding and cohesion.
“They have a great solidarity. I have seen that Messi gave the ball to Suarez (from a penalty) because he wanted him to be the best goalscorer.
“When you see someone like Messi, who could score his 300th goal, give the ball to Suarez when he had the opportunity to score goal 300, that means there’s really something in there.”
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