Arsenal vs. Leicester City: Arsene Wenger's Key Takeaways from Pre-Match Presser
Arsenal fans rejoice: Arsene Wenger has confirmed Alexis Sanchez will return to the Gunners' squad ahead of Tuesday night's clash with Leicester.
The manager confirmed his side is heading back to full strength after Saturday's loss to local rivals Tottenham, tweeted by James Olley of the London Evening Standard:
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Wenger indicated Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain still has work to do ahead of his return, reported by Arsenal's official Twitter account:
The under-fire Jack Wilshere—who was recently pictured holding a shisha pipe, reported by David Hytner of The Guardian—will also sit the Foxes fixture out:
Wenger's squad is sure to be hurting after losing 2-1 to Spurs last time out, a result which pushed Mauricio Pochettino's men one point ahead of their north London foes in the battle for fourth. Wenger is looking for the game to be forgotten, noted on Arsenal's feed:
He also suggests having a quick opportunity to bounce back could help the squad:
Interestingly, the manager indicated an alternative approach was taken to dealing with the defeat, per Olley:
Arsenal must simply brush Leicester aside. The visitors have won just two of their last 19 Premier League fixtures, per WhoScored.com, and are currently rooted to the bottom of the table.
Prior to the match, the club was even forced to deny reports manager Nigel Pearson has been sacked, per BBC Sport. With Spurs travelling to face Liverpool—two teams who could reasonably grab Champions League places—Arsenal need to secure maximum points when at least one of their rivals are guaranteed to miss out on doing the same.
Failure to beat Leicester would heap major pressure on the club. Arsenal's fantastic start to 2015, which saw them topple Manchester City, came to a crashing halt when Harry Kane stepped up for Spurs. It is now the team's task to regain momentum, most likely led by a certain Chilean who has set the tone for Arsenal's results all season long.
