“Alexis caught on camera” (CC BY 2.0) by  Ronnie Macdonald 

It’s the time of the season when teams need to call upon their big guns. The Premier League title is within reach for a number of teams still, but now is where the pressure really starts to mount. This is when those expensive marquee signings have to step up and make a difference.

Premier League ladder on hityah has some of the most talented players in the world, but they must justify their price tags. Strikers like Chelsea’s Diego Costa, Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Robin Van Persie during his stay at Manchester United all proved pivotal players as their clubs took home the Premier League title in recent years. That is not to say that others played key parts as well, but it could be argued that these decisive players were the difference makers.

Alexis Sanchez should be this player for Arsenal. He is one of the most exciting signings that Arsene Wenger has made in recent history, and his first season at the Emirates was full of such promise. According to ticketgum.com, tickets for Arsenal are in high demand, and being able to watch players like Sanchez is one reason why tickets are so sought after. He put away 16 goals and assisted 8 in the league alone last year, and made the switch to the English style of play look seamless. In contrast, his midfield counterpart Mesut Ozil had a slow start in English football, but the German playmaker has finally started to justify his price tag and has had an excellent season. It seems that the roles have been reversed.

At the time of writing, Sanchez has played 21 league games, and scored in only 4. Add two measly assists to that record and it doesn’t make for good reading. The Chilean was laid off for 8 matches through injury, but prior to that he was off form and has failed to hit his stride since his return. The troubling thing is, he is still registering plenty of shots on goal, and only has the equalising goal against Tottenham Hotspur to show for it. Could it be that he is suffering a lack of confidence due to being overshadowed by Arsenal’s new key man? Or will his strike against Arsenal’s title rivals now lead to him opening the floodgates?

Whatever the problem is, Wenger needs Sanchez to rediscover that devastating form again – and fast. He showed glimmers of his talent against Spurs, but the Gunners need more. Ozil can’t be relied upon to do all the work, Olivier Giroud is also suffering and Theo Walcott has so far failed to justify being given the central striker’s berth. With the Gunners in need of goals – Sanchez needs to prove that he isn’t just another one season wonder.

Arsenal have some ground to make up on the leaders, Leicester City, although there is still time for them to catch up should the Foxes suffer any setbacks, but the Gunners need to put a run of form together and end the season in strong fashion.

With just under a quarter of the season left, the Chilean attacker still has the opportunity to better his goal scoring record of last season and for the sake of Arsenal’s title hopes, he needs to start firing on all cylinders sooner rather than later.