Manchester United need patience and clarity to solve Alexis Sanchez dilemma

Mancheste United need patience and clarity to solve their Alexis Sanchez dilemma

made perfect sense when he recently offered a defense of Alexis Sanchez and the player’s slow start to life at Manchester United. Yet it was telling Mourinho felt the need to defend Sanchez at all.

The Chilean only swapped Arsenal for United late in the January transfer window. He’s played just eight games, but questions are already being asked about where Sanchez should play and if he can adapt to Mourinho’s philosophy.

ourinho’s attempt to deflect criticism came shortly before Sanchez’s latest drab performance, as United beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday. Mourinho played Sanchez as a No. 10 in another attempt to solve the dilemma of finding the mercurial forward’s best fit.

The results were far from spectacular, though, with Sanchez largely anonymous, but mistake-prone on the rare occasions he did see the ball.

ESPN FC’s Rob Dawson was sarcastic, but not wide of the mark, in his assessment of Sanchez and his performance:

Even so, Mourinho is right. Sanchez does need more time, and he’s too good a player not to eventually make the grade for the Red Devils.

Sanchez will come good, but he’ll need something more than Mourinho’s patience. He’ll also need clarity from his manager about where he belongs in United’s best XI.

Putting Sanchez in a No. 10 role may appeal to many, particularly given the South American’s astonishing vision for a through pass.

However, any central midfield role demands efficiency, something Sanchez has always lacked. He was too often swamped in the midfield mixer against Liverpool.

The problem was asking the 29-year-old free-spirit to do a defensive job.

Mourinho explained afterwards what he’d tasked his central trio to do, per Samuel Lukchurst of the Manchester Evening News:

Mourinho’s words speak to the inherent philosophical difference between himself and Sanchez’s previous manager. Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger does grant his attacking talents more freedom, while Mourinho keeps faith in pragmatism over purity.

Wenger’s improv approach to team structure was perfect for Sanchez and his riff-with-it style of play. Such freedom helped yield some spectacular numbers in three-and-a-half seasons, per BBC Sport: