Alexis Sanchez is like a "Duracell battery" that shows no sign of slowing, according to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The England international has seen Alexis' work ethic at close quarters
and he says the summer signing is setting sky-high standards.
"When you see someone working hard from the front and maybe if they
close three players down and they don’t win the ball back, and then you
are not there to back him up, you do have to look at yourself and think
‘why was I not there to help my team-mate out?’" said
Oxlade-Chamberlain.
"It does set the tone for the rest of the team, the boys up front. If
they react quickly when we lose the ball, it brings the midfield with
them, full-backs and the defenders to switch from attack to defence. It
is something that we work hard on.
"Alexis does it better than anyone I’ve seen. He’s come from
Barcelona, it is a strong philosophy that they play by - when you watch
Barcelona, they do that - so maybe he has picked that up there and
brought that to us in every game he has played. There are definitely a
lot of boys learning from him and you can always learn from him because
he does it really well."
Alexis' sheer appetite for the game has been something to behold this
season. Arsène Wenger suggested that the Chilean's first winter without
a break would be "a shock to the system" but Alexis has gone from
strength to strength.
"He absolutely loves it," smiled Oxlade-Chamberlain. "He is like a Duracell battery. He just does not give in.
"Whether it’s a cup competition or times when you think maybe it
could be a chance for him to come out and rest, he is the first one to
say he wants to play and he always wants to be a part of it.
"I am sure if the boss wants to rest him, he would respect that as
well. But his attitude and the way he approaches training, you wouldn’t
think he was tired and the way he is playing, you wouldn’t take him out
of the side either.
Arsenal
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