Alexis Sanchez: 'Every time someone takes the ball off me I feel like I've been stripped of my toy'
The Arsenal forward just hates losing the ball
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Your support makes all the difference.Alexis Sanchez has said that when dispossessed of the ball it feels as though he's been "stripped of my toy".
The Chile international has had a big impact at Arsenal since signing last summer, with his work-rate gaining equal recognition as his ability.
The former Barcelona player's willingness to chase down lost causes and harass opponents in a bid to win the ball has seen him become a fan favourite at the Emirates. However, in an interview with BT Sport, Sanchez explained that winning over the supporters is not the driving force behind his style of play.
"I don’t really perceive that [the desire to win the ball exciting fans]. Every time someone takes the ball off me I feel like I’ve been stripped of my toy. When a player takes the ball off me I just want to win it back. That could work as a motivational tool for my team-mates but I don’t think about that on the pitch."
Sanchez will be hoping to cap his first season of English football by lifting the FA Cup this weekend. Arsenal take on Aston Villa at Wembley on Saturday.
"The FA Cup is a competition with amazing history," said Sanchez, "Today we watched a video about Arsenal’s previous wins and thanks to the clips I trained with even more motivation. I hope we can win the cup so the Arsenal supporters are happy."
Whilst an FA Cup trophy would be welcomed by Sanchez it is in other competitions that the 26-year-old hopes to enjoy more success with Arsenal.
"It has been a positive season but I have still got ambitions to win more," he told BT Sport in an interview that will be aired during coverage of the final. "I would like to be closer to winning the Premier League title and get further in the Champions League. Every time I play I do it with the same motivation. I want the team to grow more and to compete in every competition we play."
The FA Cup Final is live on BT Sport. Watch all the build-up, including the full interview with Alexis Sanchez, on BT Sport 1 with a live preview show at 1pm from Wembley ahead of the live match coverage from 5pm.
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