Alexis Sanchez Reportedly to Be Given Arsenal Midseason Break by Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly planning to sideline star player Alexis Sanchez during the next few weeks to keep the Chilean from burning out later on in the season.

Sanchez inspired Chile to Copa America glory in the summer and cut his offseason break short to return to action with Arsenal at the beginning of the new Premier League campaign.

According to John Cross and Adrian Kajumba in the Mirror, given the Gunners' current injury problems, Wenger is eager to take Sanchez "out of the firing line" to protect him against picking up a knock.

Sanchez has netted six times in 12 appearances this season, per WhoScored.com. He has shown flashes of his trademark effervescence but has been less impactful in recent matches, per Bleacher Report's Dean Jones:

He has not taken an extended break for some time, having played a key role for Chile in the summer of 2014 at the World Cup in Brazil.

It would undoubtedly be sensible for Sanchez to take a back seat for a few weeks to prolong his fitness going into the hectic Christmas period and throughout the remainder of the season.

However, Wenger will have to tread carefully.

The Gunners' upcoming matches in the Premier League after the international break are against West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City, Sunderland and Aston Villa.

All four of these matches are potentially winnable for Arsenal, even without Sanchez—especially given Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is expected to return from injury for the clash with the Baggies, per Cross and Kajumba.

However, following the West Brom match, the Gunners face Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Nov. 24, a game Arsenal must win if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of Europe's top club competition.

Given the importance of that Zagreb match at the Emirates Stadium, Wenger will surely be compelled to field his strongest starting XI, which undoubtedly includes Sanchez.

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The French manager was burned earlier in the season when he opted to play backup goalkeeper David Ospina against Dinamo and Olympiakos in the Champions League, losing both matches, and he was heavily criticised for it, such as by BBC Sport's Phil McNulty.

If he decides against picking Sanchez to face Dinamo and Arsenal don't win and go out of the competition, the criticism will be even more brutal.

A midseason break for Sanchez is undoubtedly a good idea, as he could be vital later in the season with the Gunners looking set for a genuine title challenge in 2015-16—they are currently tied on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City.

However, Wenger will have to be sensible when sidelining the forward to avoid causing unnecessary problems for his side.