Sanchez hits sweet notes

European football transfer trackers, or those who claim to be, are reemerging from their dens. For the past few weeks, they have been on an overdrive, speculating 'sensational moves' of all and sundry . Of all the rumours traversing through the chaotic 'information hub' the internet is, those involving the Barcelona duo of Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez might have received the most 'clicks' -the food and the ultimate goal in the virtual world.

 

It perhaps says something about the credibility of the transfer rumours that two of the most 'viral news' are nothing but laughable. For no one with even a modicum of a functional brain would sell Iniesta, not even when he is approaching 30. There are of course talks of him being unsettled under Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, but from what can be gauged from many previous examples, players that come through La Masia academy don't get jittery about their positions that easily.

 

The other object of rumours, Sanchez, is even more intriguing. Sure, Sanchez had been a regular in transfers rumours for the past few windows, but 2013-14 season has been different. The Chilean is perhaps playing his best football and more importantly thriv ing under Martino.

 

He has succeeded in getting ahead of home favourite Pedro in the fight for a starting berth and seems to have given Martino's 'front three' Neymar and Lionel Messi being the other -the right balance.

 

Messi's injury crisis and Neymar emergence may be dominating topics around Barcelona, but Sanchez's success is also worth discussing.

There never was any doubt on the former Udinese star's talent. But ever since his move from Italy to Barcelona, pundits have questioned his ability to play alongside greats. Sadly for the Chilean, his early struggles at the club proved to be vindication to his critics. But that was until Martino came in.

 

Under the Argentine, Sanchez has found his mojo. Perhaps it's not a co-inci dence that his stars turned under a man ager who is a disciple of tactical genius Marcelo Bielsa, under whom Sanchez scored his first international goal. Meanwhile, in the World Cup quali fiers, Sanchez was the vital cog in the Chilean wheel set up by coach Jorge Sampaoli, another Argentine and, yes, a elf-confessed 'Bielsista'.