Footballers in the modern game have often received criticism over their lack of loyalty, commitment or passion either for the club or the sport.
In fact, some have many a time exhibited vulture-like tendencies, with their loyalty and passion limited to the size of the paychecks.
For Alexis Sanchez however, it was an animated show of frustration when he was subbed off during Arsenal’s 4-0 thumping of Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.
Sporadic in its kind yet heartwarming for Gooners, here are four reasons for the Chilean’s inexplicable behavior against the Swans.
Race for the golden boot
In full awareness of Diego Costa’s absence from the Chelsea squad that made the trip to Leicester, Alexis saw an opportunity to further advance his goal tally and content for the golden boot.
He did live up to the bar, scoring Arsenal’s fourth and final goal, but appeared desolate after he was replaced by the returning Danny Welbeck with ten minutes left on the clock.
Perhaps the forward felt he could have added more goals against a vulnerable Swansea side, but that was no way to react more so given Welbeck’s lengthy absence due to injury.
Be that as it may, Alexis is the leading goal scorer in the Premier League by virtue of a superior assist rate over Diego Costa and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, all tied at 14 goals apiece.
Workaholic
One admirable feature that is often lauded is the impressive work-rate by South American players over their European counterparts.
Alexis isn’t any different, and may quite rightly be the first among equals.
His workhorse mentality has often put him at loggerheads with Arsene Wenger, but Alexis is not the kind to be tamed.
Uncertain future
Wenger’s future at Arsenal has brought uncertainties aplenty, with key players such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis stalling contract talks.
The uncertainty surrounding his future could have inevitably caused the Chilean international to crumble under the slightest of disappointments.
Tax fraud charges
Unbeknownst to us at the time, Alexis Sanchez apparently had an ongoing tax fraud investigation against him from his time at the Nou Camp.
Staging an appearance via video link on Monday, the 28-year old admitted to the charges and could as consequence be slapped with a fine of up to 1 million pounds.
Talk about sidestepping the system!
Written by Brian Humphrey
Follow Brian on Twitter @brihum
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