Alexis secures his place at Camp Nou as 'Tata' show thumbs up

'Tata' Martino and his coaching team have been astonished by Alexis Sánchez. The Chilean has only played four pre-season matches but has already played better than he did for the majority of the past season.

Last season he caused a murmur of disapproval at the Camp Nou, as he seemed short of confidence in front of goal and clumsy when he had the ball. This summer everything has changed.

In Barça's second pre-season game – against Valerenga (7-0) – he showed signs of being up for the challenge. It only took just him four minutes to open the scoring and he linked up well with Messi and Tello.

His progression continued in the friendly against Lechia Gadnsk, but his most complete performance came against Santos (8-0). He scored the third goal, but most importantly, he also created chances for his teammates and worked hard to win back the ball.

Martino has asked his players to show intensity and Alexis is proving to be a fine example, along with Messi and Pedro. The three players have worked well together to make the opposing teams feel suffocated and incapable of playing the ball out from the back.

This may prove to be Alexis' best season, providing he does not let his standards slip. However, competition for places is fierce. Messi is an undoubted starter, leaving two places, one of which seems destined for Neymar. Alexis, Pedro and Tello will have to fight it out for the remaining spot, without forgetting that Fábregas can also play in attack.


/Marca/