Why Mkhitaryan and Arsenal could be a match made in heaven

Even Arsene Wenger's unwavering belief couldn't keep Alexis Sanchez from completing his move away from the Emirates and joining Manchester United, but take pause before bemoaning his departure. Arsenal has already redeemed its losses in Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a player who seems to require the sort of encouragement that Wenger offers to truly thrive.

The Frenchman is often derided for his unfounded loyalty to Arsenal's stars and for maintaining confidence in out-of-form footballers. Those traits aren't boasted by managers like Jose Mourinho, who seek to actively avoid a reputation for leniency, lest their players' work ethic suffer for it.

The Armenian's time at Old Trafford will be defined by his failure to handle the pressures of Mourinho's title hunt. Yet Arsenal offers him a chance at personal redemption in an environment better suited to his skills.

Mkhitaryan loves Arsenal. In 2009, he praised the team's "attacking play and fast style," professing a desire to "play there one day." Tactically, the Armenian figures as a better match to the open and creative brand of football that Wenger has cultivated, especially when compared to Mourinho's defensive-minded style at Manchester United.

Never the paciest or most indefatigable winger, the 29-year-old is now free from some of the defensive responsibilities he struggled to balance at United. Instead, he can focus on his best traits: cutting in, dicing apart backlines with through passes, shrugging off markers like an ill-fitting suit, and combining with his teammates in close proximity.

Under Mourinho, United's tendency is to congregate in and around the box, whip in crosses to tall, imposing strikers like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Romelu Lukaku, and clean up spills. While both teams share a penchant for pass accuracy - completing an average of 84 percent per game at an average length of 17-18 metres - it is Arsenal that emphasises passing connections.

It's why the club has completed around 100 more passes per game than United (511 to 406), and ranks seventh in running distance (2490.8 km) in the Premier League, with United ranking dead last (2372.1 km). This heightened frequency suggests Mkhitaryan will at least be more involved in Arsenal's 3-4-2-1 system.

But there's more to football than tactics, especially for a player like Mkhitaryan, who struggled with confidence and form at United. Those factors ultimately played him out of Mourinho's starting XI, and he'll need to overcome those same obstacles to succeed at Arsenal, just as he did at Borussia Dortmund.

Arsenal is a club with the same title ambition as the likes of Chelsea, United, or Manchester City, and players are expected to work toward that end with the same level of commitment. But, truth be told, the pressure to perform under the lights of the Emirates isn't quite as daunting as it is at Old Trafford.

Those expectations, coupled with the club's lavish resources, tie Mourinho's hands when it comes to affording leniency. Mourinho simply can't give under-performing players continued chances when there are better options. A lack of personnel is reasonable justification for Wenger's own unflinching loyalty, but Mourinho would be irresponsible to keep an in-form Jesse Lingard out of the team if Mkhitaryan is in the midst of a poor stretch. Earlier in the campaign, he didn't hesitate to drop the Armenian despite a positive start to the season that saw him lead the league with five assists by August. After that, Mkhitaryan wasn't the same.

Wenger won't have to work hard to find a spot for Mkhitaryan in his starting lineup. His real challenge will be getting the best out of him consistently.

Joining Arsenal allows Mkhitaryan the freedom to express himself on the field without the same fear of failure that Mourinho's men constantly face. It's been a criticism by former players that the environment is too casual at Arsenal, and for Mkhitaryan, this feeds a possible character flaw. But, as he showed at Dortmund with an astounding 23 goals and 32 assists in the 2015-16 season, the Armenian is capable of elite play when properly motivated.

Mourinho's preferred method of reinvigorating underperforming players is to publicly dress them down, bench them, challenge them to improve, and then reward an increase in production, effort, and hunger with praises to the press and regular playing time - see Luke Shaw as the most recent example.

It didn't work in Mkhitaryan's case.

None of this is a knock against Mourinho's management style, United's tactical approach, or the club's handling of Mkhitaryan in the transfer window. The club generally produces quality football and Mourinho has garnered results with this method in each of the teams he has managed.

Still, Mourinho would've been wise to take a page out of Thomas Tuchel's book in his effort at unlocking Mkhitaryan's best form, for it was Tuchel who did so simply through faith: "Listen, I want to get everything out of you," Tuchel said, as Mkhitaryan writes in the Players' Tribune. "Micki, you are going to be great."

Wenger would have no qualms in backing his new man in a similar way, or little choice, anyway, as Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are now gone. Mkhitaryan can also find support from the club's head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, who first scouted him for Dortmund. With Wenger's time at the club approaching its end, Mkhitaryan has the benefit of joining at a juncture where the iconic boss isn't the only person making key decisions.

But if there's one man who can help Mkhitaryan overcome his own obstacles, it is Wenger, a man who will bear the blame of the Armenian's failures - just as he has for all his players - and work to inspire the best from a player who can contribute so much.

While Sanchez's departure may sting, Mkhitaryan's acquisition could be a match made in heaven and a blessing in disguise.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)