Manna It is one of the few words in the Spanish language that means one thing and, at the same time, the opposite. The first two meanings provided by the RAE speak of its positive meaning. “dexterity, ability“, states the first. “Artifice, cunning”, adds the second, who is already beginning to associate it with a darker nuance. The third, directly, falls into that area. “Vice, bad habit, aftertaste“, states the obligatory reference for any Spanish speaker or anyone who wants to understand the Spanish language: the academy’s dictionary.
All of them can be used when analyzing Alexis Sánchez, a crafty man by nature and by the passage of years. The first, due to his natural conditions, which have catapulted him to the top of the world football scene. The last one, due to the sullen profile he showed in the National Team’s debut in the Copa América, against Peru, where, after wasting a scoring opportunity that could have changed the outcome of the match at the beginning, he got tired of fighting with his companions. From Wonder Boy, the best version of him, Sánchez became the Boy’Mañavilla‘, collecting the most extreme meaning of the construction that, although it is not even necessary to clarify it, absolutely escapes formality, but is well worth explaining the worst.
Sánchez analyzed the match against Peru with more serenity than he showed on the field, but with total harshness. “We had chances, I had one or two times. This is Copa América and when you have a chance you have to make it. A little imprecise in the passes, we played only one game before coming here, but I leave with a good feeling because I think there is a level, there are players and I am happy with the performance,” he later told DSports, including himself in the review. Criticism included a review of the ANFP for the lack of friendlies before the tournament. “We were very imprecise in the passes. We played only one game before coming here. But I’m leaving excited, I think there are good elements,” he expressed.
He also complained about the refereeing. “Better not even talk about the referee. The truth is that They pushed the Peruvians and it was all in their favor. It’s not an excuse. Hot and everything, they gave me a yellow card, but it’s part of football,” she explained. The yellow card was, precisely, for demanding a warning for Paolo Guerrero, after a foul on Claudio Bravo.
On the court, however, he showed his most crafty version. In the negative sense, he understands himself. As he usually does when the ball doesn’t reach him, he clearly complained. Several people paid the price: Eduardo Vargas and Ben Brereton were challenged for not giving him the ball on occasions when the now former Inter Milan player judged that he was in a better position than the receivers chosen by his teammates.
On the contrary, he took the time to protect Darío Osorio from criticism, whom he conceives as his successor and has tried to incorporate into the group, a dynamic that has also been joined by his long-time partner in La Roja: Mauricio Isla. “He is a quiet person, as you see, you have to be critical, but support him. We shouldn’t throw him down, I think he has a lot to learn. Sometimes the press or people who talk about football must help the Chilean player”, he stated. The location included the old glories, some who became commentators. “We are all Chileans and we want to do well. Former players also have to support more than talk about things that harm”, he noted.
Miguel Ángel Gamboa, World Cup winner in Spain 82, analyzes Sánchez’s performance in detail. “It seemed exaggerated to me, too much. There is one thing that usually happens with this type of players, that they play on great teams and have great teammates. At a lower level, they despair, they complain. He forgets that he is not at Barcelona or Inter. That’s where it goes. You should have a little more peace of mind and look at reality. It is not the best personal version either,” she notes.
Then, more time is taken to analyze the function of the northerner in La Roja. “Sánchez would have to play freely and we would have to expect the best from him, dribble and face. When he plays center forward, he has the tendency to drop back. He no longer plays on the shores. It is still one of the best that Chile has. Sometimes they send you to play freely or sometimes you get desperate and try to do more than your share. It’s similar to what happens to Vidal. They are players who always want to have the ball. That is good and bad. I prefer a good one to have it and not a more limited one. If you look at the great teams, the ones who have the ball are the good ones.. From the middle forward, the one who knows the most should have it. Argentina is the example. Or City. It can be messy, but Staying still in one place ends up tiring good players. They do the tactical job, but inside they feel like a disaster. You have to see what the technician sends him to, too.”, he points out.
It also focuses on the effect that Sánchez’s insults produce on the court. “Some take it well. Others resent it. It can be taken both ways. He who has personality, faces it. In Colo Colo I got very attached to Loco Páez. He answered him, but that was as far as he went. There are players who are affected, yes”, he explains, from the experience of having dealt with great figures.
Jorge Aravena focuses on a factor that he considers crucial to explain the sullen performance of the former Barcelona striker. “You have to understand it. In the first half they kicked him every time. The referee did not protect him. This makes the player get upset.“says Mortero, who also stood out in the National Team.
The Gunboat of America, as he was also nicknamed for the power of his shots, points out that this element mixed with general incompetence ends up becoming an explosive mixture. “Then the game made him angrier. That also affects. Beyond being a reference, Alexis is a human being like any other. Her blows hurt him like everyone else. And if the plays don’t work out, she gets angrier. She is natural“, Explain.
In fact, he downplays the encounters with Vargas and Brereton. “They are dialogues that occur on the field, that always occur and that have to do with the intention of making everything work better. They remain there,” he says.
