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Thierry Henry has criticised Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for playing Alexis Sanchez in the 1-1 draw at Norwich, despite the Chile ace having a an existing hamstring problem.
Wenger acknowledged earlier this week that Sanchez had a "hamstring alarm", which he picked up against Dinamo Zagreb last Wednesday, and the 26-year-old was forced off in 59th minute of the game.
Speaking as a pundit for Sky Sports, Arsenal's record scorer said: "I can feel for Arsene, in a way, you're playing for the title, you're coming here, you need to win; obviously if you ask Alexis Sanchez if he's OK he's going to say 'yes'. If not, if the guy says 'no', then he might as well leave the club, you're there to play.
"But I think you almost don't have to ask him anything if you want to rest him. I personally wouldn't have liked that when I was a player but then you take it on the chin and you see the bigger picture because you want to be out there and play for the whole season.
Show all 22 1 /22Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Norwich: Ruddy: 3 out of 10 One careless kick is understandable in the driving rain. But having miscued early on there were no excuses whatsoever for Ruddy’s second shank, which led to Arsenal’s goal. Three miscued kicks and more than one instance of poor positioning made up a woeful performance.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Wisdom: 7 out of 10 Bombed up and down the right flank despite the threat posed by Sanchez and Monreal, creating his own chances with accurate crossing. Should have received an assist on the stroke of half-time after Hoolahan blew a perfect opportunity to give Norwich the lead.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Bennett: 7 out of 10
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Bassong: 6 out of 10 A mistake-free display from the senior defender, he may not have done anything to seize headlines but he also never gave Alex Neil cause for concern.
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Olsson: 6 out of 10 Was all too often dragged out of position by Ramsey when he cut infield, giving space for Bellerin to accelerate in to. His covering of the full-back improved in the second half though, as Norwich’s resolve stiffened.
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings O’Neil 6 Did all that could be asked of him in his chasing of Alexis Sanchez, the Arsenal man was often too good for him though, as when he carelessly lost the ball for the opener. But O’Neil kept committing to tackles and trying to stem the Arsenal tide.
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Dorrans: 6 out of 10 His main task seemed to be ensuring that Norwich held the ball on the occasions they were able to get it back from Arsenal, something he achieved without ever doing much more.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Hoolahan 5 out of 10 A quiet day for the Irish playmaker, whose side did not have enough of the ball to get him involved. Blew Norwich’s best chance to take the lead late in the first half and should have at least tested Cech from six yards out.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Howson 5 out of 10 Should have offered his team-mates more covers for the marauding Sanchez down the right, particularly as he offered next to nothing going forward. It was little surprise he was the first to make way for Norwich.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Brady: 8 out of 10 By far the host’s most effective attacking force, typified by an assist Ozil would have been proud of to draw Norwich level. His delivery from set-pieces often left Arsenal on the ropes and his ability to find a team-mate in space was remarkable
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Grabban: 6 Comfortably kept in check by Mertesacker for 45 minutes but when a chance fell to him he needed no second invitation, turning well and calmly tucking the ball past Cech. He was not able to get back in the contest again but he had already made a telling contribution.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Arsenal: Cech 6 out of 10 Could do nothing to prevent Grabban bringing Norwich level, and rarely had much to do as the visitors dominated proceedings. After a quiet 70 minutes he produced a spectacular save from a deflected cross to keep Arsenal level.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Bellerin 5 out of 10 Rarely let Norwich’s attack get in behind him but was not at his peak going forward. His afternoon was best summed up by his strange decision to shoot at goal from a tight angle when he could have delivered a cross.
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Mertesacker: 6 out of 10 From minute one to minute 90 he didn’t put a foot wrong, but then he was rarely tested by a Norwich side intent on holding on to a point.
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Koscielny 6 out of 10 His injury bug struck once more, as he went off in the opening ten minutes due to back-pain.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Monreal 5 out of 10 Targeted Norwich’s lack of numbers on the left flank, getting forward as Wisdom was dragged out of position by Sanchez. But time and again his delivery left a great deal to be desired – whilst he found an Arsenal player it was not always the right player in the right position.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Ramsey 6 out of 10 An encouraging return to the starting XI for Ramsey, who continued to show his excellent understanding with Ozil and Sanchez. His influence visibly waned later in the second half, but Wenger will be pleased to have him back in contention.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Ozil 8 out of 10 The playmaker has clearly taken on board his manager’s wish for him to add greater goal threat to his game. Was immediately alive to the opportunity when Ruddy miscued his kick, finding space as a true poacher should.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Sanchez 8 out of 10 Consistently found the space to draw Norwich defenders into mistakes. It was little surprise that he was well-placed to profit for the opener. An excellent performance was cut short on the hour with an utterly predictable hamstring injury.
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Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Giroud 4 out of 10 Whilst his team-mates displayed some sumptuous short passes and flicks around the area the Frenchman was unmoved and unmoving. He contributed next to nothing to the Arsenal attack, at best competing for a few headers.
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Flamini 6 out of 10 Much improved from Wednesday’s poor showing, Flamini seems to have calmed down and ditched his desire to be in every position at every time. He showed reliability in shielding a backline thrown together ten minutes into the game.
Norwich vs Arsenal player ratings Cazorla: 7 Made the most of the opportunities Norwich provided him to bring the ball forward from deep, dribbling past opponents at will before teeing up team-mates. Another to suffer a potentially worrying injury, he slowed down significantly in the second half.
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"He plays for Chile, travels 14 hours there and back, he plays every game but even when the game is won sometimes he will still go and put some pressure on teams... I'm not a coach, I don't know how it is with all the pressure of players - I know I was a pain in the neck when you take me out in the game - but I thought at the time, the game was won against Dinamo Zagreb; he scored, he had a good game, he didn't get injured, 20 minutes to go, take him out."
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