Arsene Wenger made the controversial decision to start Alex Iwobi in place of Alexis Sanchez against Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final, and he’s unwilling to tell us why.

When questioned about his decision to drop Alexis for the clash, Wenger said that he couldn’t reveal why the forward didn’t start and he didn’t want to say why. “I don’t want to talk about that,” he said. “We have to keep at least some things a little bit private.”

The fact that Wenger didn’t even try to make up some sort of tactical reason suggests that it might be a bit tense behind the scenes. The 29-year-old is currently being heavily linked with Manchester City. Everyone knows it.
Wenger’s only human. it can’t be nice knowing that a player doesn’t want to work with you. Therefore, I can’t imagine either player or coach are having a great time training together at the moment.

 

Who knows what sort of conversations are going on in that dressing room that we’ll never hear about?

alexis sanchez chelsea 3
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 10: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal warms up before the Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on January 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

While they’re both professional, the Chilean has shown with his lacklustre performances this season that sometimes overriding emotions get in the way.

Fortunately, Wenger’s choice to start Iwobi instead of Alexis didn’t have a negative impact on the game. If fact, the 21-year-old put in a good shift and the Gunners managed to hold Chelsea to a 0-0 draw.

This means that when Antonio Conte and his men visit the Emirates on January 24 for the second leg, there’s no deficit to overturn. Whether Alexis will still be an Arsenal player by then remains to be seen.