Sanchez and Walcott have put in excellent performances in their last few games.
Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott have put in excellent performances in their last few games for Arsenal, and the two players are starting to form a deadly partnership.
Walcott now has four goals in his last three games, while Sanchez has four in four.
Sanchez is adapting to his new role as Arsenal’s centre-forward, while Walcott is re-adapting to his old spot on the right wing. Sanchez has previously struggled as a striker for Arsenal, while Walcott has shown a preference for the striker’s role, but the two players are bringing the best out of each other by playing in these positions.
The problem with playing Sanchez as a lone striker had typically been that he did not see enough of the ball when he stayed central, but when he drifted wide to receive it, the Gunners were starved of a presence in the centre.
That problem reared its head in Sanchez’s first few games up front this season, prompting calls for his return to a wide attacking role.
He seemed to struggle in his first five appearances as a striker, scoring just twice – and the second of those two goals came against PSG after he had switched to the left wing when Olivier Giroud came on up front.
However, he has hit form in the last few weeks, as has his teammate Walcott. They have developed an understanding that enhances both their natural strengths and negates some of their weaknesses as forwards.
Walcott’s problem as a striker was that while he excelled against teams playing a high line, he struggled when they sat deep. He was not particularly adept at playing with his back to goal, and he offered little aerially. But when he starts on the right wing, his goal threat is reduced.
However, this limit is removed by Sanchez’s movement and skill-set. When the Chilean drifts to the flanks, Walcott is able to come inside and score goals. The Englishman is not burdened with the task of pressing from the front and receiving the ball with his back to goal, but those are two things at which Sanchez is excellent at.
This was evidenced by two of Walcott’s last three goals. Against Chelsea, he moved into a central position while Hector Bellerin advanced into the vacant right-wing position in the move that led to his goal. Against Basel, it was Sanchez’s cross that Walcott med with his head (for only his second headed goal ever at senior level).
If Sanchez continues to adapt to the striker’s role, and continues to build on his on-field relationship with Walcott, the pair will cause plenty of problems for opposition defenders, and give playmaker Mesut Ozil plenty of options to pick out with a killer through-ball.
Perhaps this partnership is the striker that Arsenal have been after for so very, very long.
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