Arsenal still positioned well for title push, as long as Alexis Sanchez is around

Greg Lea writes however dispiriting last weekend's lost to Chelsea was, Arsenal supporters can take heart from the return of the team's lynchpin Alexis Sanchez.

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez shown last weekend before his team played Chelsea in the Premier League. AFP / IK Images / January 24, 2016

There was not much joy exhibited around the Emirates Stadium last Sunday, with the notable exception of the corner housing Chelsea’s 3,000-strong party of travelling fans.

Per Mertesacker's early sending off and Arsenal's failure to find an equaliser after Diego Costa had opened the scoring in the 23rd minute left the home supporters in a frustrated mood, but there was at least one positive they could take from the encounter.

Alexis Sanchez, who had not played since picking up a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw with Norwich City in November, entered the fray as a second-half substitute.

Read more: Steve Luckings on how it's so easy to hate Diego Costa – and how it only fuels him

In the same way that Sergio Aguero is essential to Manchester City's hopes of silverware this season because of his ability to conjure up game-changing interventions, Sanchez's propensity to produce moments of magic from very little could make the difference for Arsene Wenger's side.

With Arsenal still targeting success in the Premier League, Uefa Champions League and FA Cup, the Chile international's return to full fitness is a major boost as the business end of the campaign looms.

The signing of Sanchez from Barcelona for £35 million (Dh184.6m) in the summer of 2014 confirmed that Arsenal had entered the third period of Wenger’s time in charge.

The first, which began in 1996 and lasted for a decade, saw Arsenal win three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and reach the Champions League final in 2006.

The relocation from Highbury to the Emirates then followed, with resources diverted away from the playing staff and towards the funding of the move.

Until around 2013, Arsenal could no longer compete with the richest clubs for the very best players. No trophies were won in an eight-year spell as Champions League qualification – which guaranteed vital revenue as well as prestige – became the club’s primary priority.

The acquisition of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for £42m in September 2013 was essentially an announcement that another new era had begun, with Arsenal again capable of assembling the type of squad that could compete for the game's biggest honours.

That feeling was reinforced when Sanchez joined 12 months later, with the signing of Petr Cech – a world-class goalkeeper who solved the long-standing problem between the sticks – last summer proclaimed by many to be the final piece in the Arsenal puzzle.

Despite last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, Wenger's men are still in a strong position to win their first Premier League title since 2004.

A last-16 tie with holders Barcelona next month means progress in the Champions League is unlikely, but Arsenal are among the favourites to claim what would be a third consecutive FA Cup ahead of Saturday's fourth-round clash with Burnley.

Santi Cazorla remains a significant absentee, but the availability of Sanchez again is a timely fillip to their chances of success in all three competitions.

The 27-year-old’s importance cannot solely be measured by his goals and assists, although nine of the former and five of the latter in 21 matches this season represents a fine return.

Sanchez’s influence goes beyond that, with his commendable work ethic and non-stop running inspiring those around him.

“He was very dynamic, very direct and very straight to the point,” Wenger told Arsenal’s website this week, recounting the first time he saw Sanchez in action for Udinese.

“He was one of these players where his energy and the intensity of his energy level hits you straight in the face.

“It is strange because he catches your eye with his energy and level of commitment he puts into everything he does and that is what remained with me.”

The thousands of Arsenal fans who cheered his comeback against Chelsea could probably not agree more.

Out of the ashes of Pompey

Portsmouth’s two FA Cup final appearances in the last seven and a half decades came just 24 months apart, but the atmosphere around the club could hardly have been more different during the competition’s conclusions in 2008 and 2010.

The former final saw Portsmouth win their first major trophy since 1939 by overcoming Cardiff City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.

Managed by Harry Redknapp, the winning team contained established internationals such as Nwankwo Kanu, Sol Campbell, Glen Johnson, Milan Baros, David James, Lassana Diarra, Papa Bouba Diop and Sulley Muntari.

Manchester United were among the opponents Portsmouth defeated on their way to the final, with Redknapp's side also going on to finish in eighth place in the Premier League that season.

Two years later, when Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea beat Portsmouth 1-0 to get their hands on another piece of silverware, the situation at the club had drastically changed.

It soon became clear that the squad of 2008 had only been assembled because of overspending on transfer fees and, in particular, players’ wages.

By the final of May 2010, Portsmouth had been plunged into administration and relegated to the Championship, with most of the above stars either on their way out or already playing for other sides.

The setbacks were not over there: demotion to the third tier followed in 2012 and to the fourth in 2013.

Three years after reaching the FA Cup final and five after winning the tournament, Portsmouth were a League Two team.

There is now hope, though, that the club could be on its way back.

Portsmouth are now owned by the Pompey Supporters’ Trust and are in with a chance of promotion this term.

The mood around Fratton Park – the venue for Portsmouth’s FA Cup fourth round tie with Bournemouth on Saturday – is currently brighter than it has been at any other time this decade.

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