Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has revealed that even when Arsenal won 2-0 against Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day, Alexis Sanchez wasn’t happy.
The Ox claims that the Chilean approached him in the shower and cracked a joke about how long it takes the England international to shoot after Alexis passed him the ball.
“You get to know someone over the years and play with them but he’s definitely one of those players who will tend to bring out the best in you because he’s very demanding on himself and on everyone,” the 23-year-old told Arsenal’s official website.
“The number of times we come off the pitch and we’ve won, but he’s still not happy with something.
“The Crystal Palace game for example, obviously we won 2-0 but right at the end of the game he’s cut in, passed it to me and then I shot, but Hennessey just about saved it.
“The boys were all happy in the dressing room but Alexis came to me in the shower and he’s like ‘My friend are you going to score?!
“Oh no my friend… I passed you the ball, you have a cup of tea, you wait… and then you shoot!’.
“I was just laughing like ‘Yeah, sorry my friend…’ He always wants assists, he wants goals and that’s what makes him the player he is.
“He’s always hungry for that and he passes that onto us all. We’ve got a lot of those sorts of characters in the team.
“Alexis is probably one of the strongest ones that will voice his opinions at all times.
“He is one of those that keeps demanding and trying to bring the best out of you.”
It’s hardly surprising. All Alexis seems to want to do is play football, which explains why he’s capable of throwing a strop a toddler would be proud of when he’s subbed off.
As the Ox says, this can make the team stronger, since Alexis constantly wants to push himself harder and further, which encourages his teammates to do the same. Most Gooners are in agreement that if we had a squad full of players with Alexis’ work ethic, we’d be world beaters. However, every player’s different and, for some, picking holes in what was otherwise a decent performance could be detrimental, especially when you consider how fragile the Ox’s confidence can be.
At the moment, it just sounds like Alexis is trying to motivate the troops, which is what it sounds like we need.