Secrets of Alexis Sanchez's Rapid Success at Arsenal

Alexis Sanchez has unequivocally been Arsenal's best player this season.

The thought of the Gunners playing without him this season is frightening. The entire team has been insipid and does not seem able to create much of anything going forward.

There is no incisiveness, no bite, no speed and no imagination. Arsene Wenger has tried to stack the team with midfielders this season, which has resulted in a clogged side that has too many players who are too similar to one another and offer no diversity going forward.

Alexis has been a refreshing exception.

It is often said that foreign players coming to England from different leagues take a while to completely assimilate to the Premier League and its unparalleled combination of speed and physicality.

Even Robert Pires, one of the best players to ever play for Arsenal, took an entire season to get used to the Prem. England's top flight is arguably even better now than it was when Pires arrived at the turn of the millennium.

Some players never fit in; they're just not suited for the rigorous style of play. For example, the jury is still out on Mesut Ozil, who has shown glimmers of promise but needs to show progression when he returns from his knee injury.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

What, then, has made it so easy for Alexis to slide right into the Premier League and be an instant success?

We can compare him to similar recent Premier League converts who have not needed an adaptation period in order to succeed: Sergio Aguero and Eden Hazard.

Alexis can either play as a striker, like Aguero, or a winger, like Hazard. All are relatively short players who are their respective teams' most important attacking player.

They all hit the ground running because they have outstanding technical skill, which is important in every league. One cannot be a pure dribbler in the Premier League—see Gervinho—but Alexis, Aguero and Hazard can rifle a shot into the top corner after they skip past a man with the ball at their feet.

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Even more importantly, they do not shy away from physical confrontation. That is perhaps the most prominent criticism of Ozil, who rougher teams seem to push out of games far too easily.

One might remember Hazard playing with lacerations on his ankles against Galatasaray last season. Aguero is intimidatingly muscular in person, so it is no surprise that he dukes it out with center backs who are much taller than him.

Alexis is quite well built and runs into challenges, rather than finding ways to avoid them. He constantly harries and jostles opponents to get the ball and does not give possession up easily. That, combined with his superb ability to control the ball in tight spaces, is a lethal combination.

However, Alexis' unique and most distinguishing characteristic is his boundless energy and relentless pursuit of the ball during every minute of every game.

People frequently bemoan the malaise with which much of the Arsenal team has played this season, but Alexis is a fan favorite partially because he never gives up or loses steam.

That pugnacity allows him to create opportunities out of little or nothing. For example, both of his goals against Sunderland were the fruit of dogged chasing and harrying. Alexis comes up empty most of the time, but his success rate is worth the energy he exerts.

So the reason for his success during his first season with Arsenal really is no secret—it's largely down to his desire.

That should be a lesson to every other player on the team.

Follow @charliemelman