Alexis just seems to go from strength to strength.
There were doubts over the Chile striker’s fitness when he came back from international duty earlier this month but, after putting in shifts against Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, Alexis raised his game again at the weekend.
Two goals against Bournemouth capped a man-of-the-match display that married creativity with tireless running. Arsene Wenger is likely to rest Alexis for the EFL Cup tie against Southampton but the boss thinks he’s taken yet another step forward.
“I think Alexis adds to his game a desire to fight for the team and as well, he’s a winner, he wants to win the game and he does what it takes to win the game,” said Wenger.
“I believe on a tactical front he has improved much more, he works much more for the team and when it’s needed during games, he works very hard for the team.
“I think he has improved a lot on [running effectively]. He’s more conscious of his responsibilities and he is an intelligent player. He understands what he has to do and I believe he’s more willing to help the team.
“He has the instinct of a real striker,” added the boss. “He wants to hit you, he wants to go at you. When he gets the ball, he runs forward and he runs at any defender. He shows, maybe sometimes to excess, that dribbling quality is an important quality for a striker.
“It’s his game and you do not want to take that out of his game. His dribbling is provocative, it’s not retention, it’s provocative, to create damage.”
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