'A break makes Alexis Sanchez tired' - Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger explains why he didn't substitute forward

Arsene Wenger has revealed that he chose not to substitute Alexis Sanchez in his side’s 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb because “a break makes him tired.”

Sanchez was among the exceptional performers in a victory that kept alive Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League, scoring the second and third goals and assisting Ozil’s opener.

With the match largely over by half-time, and clearly finished when the forward made it 3-0 after 69 minutes, Sanchez remained on the pitch for the whole match.

Olivier Giroud was withdrawn for the returning Aaron Ramsey, playing his first match in over a month after a hamstring injury, before Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers were introduced late on.

However Wenger revealed that he did not consider taking off Sanchez, who has already played 23 games for club and country this season.

“A break makes him tired,” Wenger replied somewhat in jest when asked why he hadn’t substituted the forward.

The manager revealed that he had chosen to rest his other key striker, Olivier Giroud, who had looked off the pace throughout the match.

“Giroud had a little problem on his ankle over the weekend, I decided to give him a breather. Hector Bellerin had a groin problem just before. Of course then I couldn’t take Sanchez off,” Wenger said.

“I would have loved to rest Sanchez tonight but I had two different options, once it was 3-0 you don’t need him to track back. When you put him central he can spare a little energy up front. It’s not like on the flank where you have to go up and down.

“I tried to compromise a bit, rest him a bit and give a breather to Giroud.”

Arsenal’s win guaranteed them at least a spot in the Europa League after Christmas, but they will need a convincing victory in Athens if they are to continue their 16-year run of successful qualifications from the first group stage.

Barring a four goal haul from the visitors Arsenal must win by at least two goals to overhaul the Greek champions and claim runners-up spot behind Bayern Munich.