Petr Cech Defends 'Sad' Alexis Sanchez After Laughing Incident vs. Bayern Munich

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has dismissed suggestions that team-mate Alexis Sanchez was laughing at his own side during the 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium last Tuesday, saying the forward was "sad" at the scoreline.

Sanchez was withdrawn from the action during the game, and cameras caught him on the bench appearing to smirk as his team struggled to contain the Germans, who romped to a 10-2 aggregate win over two legs in the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 showdown.

Cech, who was sat next to the Chilean at the time, has denied Sanchez was indulging in some schadenfreude. "It is sad, and he was as sad as I have seen him," said the goalkeeper, per Sky Sports. "I found it very disrespectful to the player. But obviously you can take the picture and you can interpret it the way you want unfortunately."

The veteran stopper added that his team-mate was exhaling after lamenting that the Gunners had missed chances to score a second goal.

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Stories about Sanchez's conduct ahead of the game added more significance to the pictures of him smiling in such circumstances.

According to David Hynter of The Guardian, manager Arsene Wenger decided to drop the 28-year-old for the recent visit to Liverpool after he walked out of a training session and rowed with some of his team-mates. 

There's been speculation about his future, too, with no progress made on a new contract at the Emirates Stadium. Paris Saint-Germain are said to be interested in the forward, per Jonathan Johnson of ESPN FC, with his current deal set to expire at the end of next season.

They're reports that make suggestions that Sanchez was laughing a little more believable. The Daily Mirror's Jack Lang thinks the forward knew exactly what he was doing:

Nevertheless, Sanchez remains an important player for the Gunners. He's been the standout man for Arsenal throughout 2016-17, bringing a raw dynamism to the final third; he's been involved in 26 goals for his team in the top flight, bagging 17 himself and laying on nine assists.

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Wenger has started Sanchez in the two games since the Liverpool match, although he wasn't at his best against Bayern Munich in the 5-1 loss—giving the ball away cheaply to allow the Germans to score; the forward did at least find the net against Lincoln City, as Arsenal coasted into the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

Even so, his long-term future seems to still be up in the air. Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette can see why he wants to move on:

If Arsenal are going to enjoy a prosperous end to the campaign, they will need Sanchez on board for the final few matches at least.

They'll face one of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea or Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals, while they also face a fight to finish in the top four in the Premier League; the Gunners trail fourth-place Liverpool by five points, although they do have two games in hand.