Arsenal's disappointing draw with rivals Tottenham has left fans with several burning questions they'd love to put to Arsene Wenger. Firstly, in the light of Mathieu Flamini's critical error, does he regret the decision not to recruit a world-class holding midfielder? Secondly, why is he seemingly so reluctant to deploy Mesut Ozil in his preferred central role? And lastly, above and beyond all else, why was Alexis Sanchez not in the starting XI?
It's a valid query. Alexis has enjoyed a terrific start to the season. He's notched four times in his nascent Arsenal career and is the club's top goal scorer. There have already been some magical moments: he got the goal that saw Arsenal qualify for the Champions League, and side-footed home a beautiful volley against champions Manchester City. Throughout an underwhelming start to the campaign, the Chilean's performances have been an undoubted highlight.
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After Alexis scored a breathtaking free kick against Southampton in midweek, there was understandable excitement about the prospect of seeing him start his first north London derby. Even the players seemed enthused by the idea. In the build-up to the game, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain eulogised about his colleague's remarkable work ethic in training. He said: "Alexis and Jack [Wilshere] played 90 minutes the other day, and they're usually on second-day recovery. But today Alexis really wanted to train, and people had to tell him to take it easy."
It seems Alexis shared the fans' excitement about pitting his talents against Tottenham. Instead, he spent the majority of the match on the substitutes' bench. It is difficult to discern Wenger's thinking.
His mistrust of Alexis might herald from the one quality that has seen him fall immediately for Danny Welbeck, and that is ball retention. After Arsenal's convincing win away to Aston Villa, Wenger was quick to praise Welbeck's star performance. However, he did not focus on the emphatic finish past Brad Guzan, nor the inch-perfect through ball to create a goal for Mesut Ozil. Instead, he drew attention to Welbeck's ability to keep the ball -- the England international completed a remarkable 97 percent of his attempted passes at Villa Park. Welbeck can't match Alexis' talent, but he offers greater continuity in the final third.
For all his gifts, Alexis is prone to giving the ball away. It's an inevitable consequence of his playing style as he attempts the improbable on a regular basis. Whether it's embarking on a mazy dribble or threading a perilous pass, he is not inclined to keep it simple. That maverick style is arguably what prevented him from ever quite fitting in at Barcelona as his risk-taking interrupted the hypnotic flow of tiki-taka.
However, that tendency to turn over possession is not enough to warrant Alexis' exclusion from the XI. To accuse him of carelessness is to misunderstand his game. He's not selfish -- he's a soloist. When Arsenal's passing game fails to function, he can still produce a magical moment to transform a draw to a win. Furthermore if he does lose the ball, few players will work quite so hard to win it back.
Alexis calculates that his drag-backs and dribbles are a chance worth taking. In future, Wenger must show similar courage in his team selections. Next week, he faces league leaders Chelsea. You can be certain that Jose Mourinho would be relieved to see Sanchez among the subs again.
Wenger must not give him the satisfaction. The time has come to rely on Alexis' unpredictability.