Alexis Sanchez Must Earn His Place at Barcelona This Season

Time is of the essence for Barcelona winger Alexis Sanchez. The Catalan club has continued to put faith in the Chilean international, but now he must reward that trust with a stellar season in the Blaugrana jersey.

After a disappointing second season in Barcelona, the Chilean must now answer his critics, or the club will be forced to sell. Luckily, Sanchez has recently given fans reason to believe that he is out of his slump.

When Barcelona first purchased the 24-year-old from Udinese for a fee of €26 million, it was believed that Sanchez would provide a new spark and dimension to the attack.

From the very beginning, Sanchez appeared to be worth every piece of the transfer fee. The 24-year-old scored 15 goals on the season, including this beauty in Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Real Madrid.

The El Clasico strike immediately won over Barcelona fans, and it seemed as though Sanchez was not only a good buy, but also an incredible fit at Barcelona. But that was until his second season with the club began.

Sanchez did not enjoy a good start to the next season at all. He seemed to be a step behind his teammates and was struggling to make an impact in matches.

From the very first month of the campaign, it was clear that Sanchez was far from what fans had seen in his first season. The Chilean even admitted it in an interview reported on the club’s official website.

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The best Alexis hasn’t arrived yet. I can give a lot more of myself and I know how good of a player I am. I accept the criticism because it makes me stronger. I am responsible for earning my spot in the starting lineup. I’m going to make it difficult on my teammates – they’re going to have to work for it as well. So far I give myself a five out of 10.

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Despite his promise to improve his form, results did not come for Sanchez. By the end of the year, Spanish paper Marca was reporting that Barcelona was unhappy with the winger and was ready to cash in on him.

Sanchez was yet to make his presence known at the club, and many fans would have been fine if the club had sold the Chilean in the winter transfer window. But that did not happen.

In January, Barcelona vice-president Josep Bartomeu revealed in an interview with El Mercurio reported by Goal.com that Sanchez was "not for sale.”

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We are confident in his ability. It is speculated so much that he might leave, but there is nothing - no formal offers have arrived for the player and he will remain here. We are pleased with his performances and we will not put him on the market.

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Sanchez also weighed in on the matter in an interview reported by Goal.com: “I’m fine. I have played many important games as a starter and I’m not worried. I want to stay at Barcelona.”

At this point, Sanchez was living on borrowed time at Barcelona. Every move would be watched closely, and the smallest mistakes would be criticized greatly. But Sanchez still did not improve.

By March, reports from the Daily Mail were already labeling Sanchez as a “flop.” It looked as though the club would have no choice but to get rid of the player, who had not earned his place at the club.

In the end, Sanchez did finish the season with rather strong numbers, according to ESPN. The 24-year-old scored 11 goals for Barcelona while giving 11 assists, but there was a problem.

Sanchez had not stepped up his play until after the season was basically over. Barcelona was already eliminated from the Champions League, and La Liga was all but decided.

Sanchez ended up scoring six of his goals and giving five assists in the last two months of the season, according to WhoScored.com.

It was difficult to say that he was finally improving his form, because Sanchez was not playing in many meaningful games. But it still gave fans hope.

The positive about it all is that Sanchez has continued to look very strong in preseason thus far.

Sanchez was arguably the club’s most impressive player in Barcelona’s 8-0 victory over Santos on Friday and scored a fantastic goal that reminded fans of his first season in the Blaugrana shirt.

On top of his recent impressive play, Sanchez has again pledged his future to the club. In an interview reported by Football-Italia.com, he stated, “I believe in my own qualities. But I know I have to fight to win a starting spot in the team.”

Throughout his tumultuous season, it seemed as though the only person who never doubted Sanchez was himself.

Barcelona has continued to place trust in Sanchez despite his difficult season. But with the new season about to begin, it is time for the Chilean to either reward the club’s faith or show that he does not have a future at Barcelona.

With the arrival of Neymar, Sanchez will get the pressure taken off of his shoulders. But with the coming chances also comes the time for him to ultimately decide his future.

If Sanchez can show his best form, it will not only solidify his place at Barcelona, but it will also greatly help the club. Fans are hoping that he has officially returned, but he must prove that in the coming months.

Will Sanchez earn his place at Barcelona? Will the Chilean end up leaving La Blaugrana? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

 

Tre’ Atkinson. Follow me on Twitter for more discussions on Barcelona and all Spanish football.

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