Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola worked with Alexis Sanchez at FC Barcelona, and he came close to signing the forward from Arsenal on summer transfer window deadline day 2017. In January of 2018, Manchester United came in and outspent City for the services of the Chilean.
The move backfired badly for Old Trafford as Alexis flopped massively and MUFC are now paying him NOT to play for them as he has now gone out on loan to Inter Milan for the season. Sanchez, the highest paid player in United history, only scored five times during the season and a half that he has with the Red Devils.
He’s been a rousing success everywhere else he’s been, so we’re all left to wonder- how did it all go so horribly wrong at MUFC? On paper, all the best gambling sites thought United would win more games, and eventually more trophies, with Sanchez on the roster. Statistical projections saw greatness for the Chilean at Old Trafford, and when it didn’t happen, there are a few different explanations one can make.
Guardiola sees it as a collective failure, with blame extending well beyond just the individual player himself.
“You judge it was a failure for just Alexis, but there are many reasons,” Guardiola said at his news conference yesterday ahead of his side’s 4-0 thrashing of Brighton.
“Quality is there. It is always there. It is not only for one player that doesn’t work with one team. They don’t play alone, it’s not tennis, it’s not golf.”
“You play with 10 players against one system, against opponents, against many many things are involved in one player performing well in the team.”
“When one player I had in my 10 years as a manager it doesn’t work, I don’t say it’s because of him.”
At first it was thought that Sanchez wasn’t a good fit in the Jose Mourinho system, but after the club sacked the Portugese, and replaced him with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the problems for Sanchez persisted. He was often injured, but even when fit he just didn’t produce.
One could say without hyperbole that he was the worst signing in United history. Guardiola does not know if things would have been different for him had he moved to the blue side of Manchester instead.
“I don’t know, maybe he would have been bad too. I don’t know,” the treble winning manager continued.
“The moment he decided to go to United was perfect. I wished him all the best here and personally and that’s all. I don’t know what happened, I was not there so that’s why I cannot give my opinion, but I am not thinking it is just for one reason.”
“We worked together in Barcelona I have a special affection as a player, of course, but especially as a human being.”
Despite what happened at United, Guardiola backs Sanchez to succeed at Inter. Pep believes he’ll form a good partnership with fellow United flop and cast-off Romelu Lukaku.
“He’s an incredible, humble guy and a fighter,” the Spaniard continued.
“He decided to move Italy with one of the greatest teams in Europe with Inter right now, incredible manager with Antonio Conte and I’m pretty sure they are going to do well.”
“Because the way I think Inter plays, it suits perfect for him. Play close to Lukaku and in this position I think he is going to have a good period in Milan,” Pep Guardiola concluded.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of โNo,ย I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.ย
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.comย on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.
