SUPER Eagles and Watford ace, Odion Ighalo and Alexis Sanchez go way back. The duo first met at Udinese in 2008. They have since played together and against each other. This evening they come face to face at Vicarage Road as Ighalo’s Watford take on Sanchez’s Arsenal in the Premier League.
“It will be good to see him,” the Hornets striker said on Thursday. “We will talk and hopefully swap shirts if that is possible. After the game we can be friends. He is a good player who can cause us problems.
“You could see at Udinese he was hungry to play. He always wanted the ball. You could see in training he had a big future. I am really happy for him. He is doing very well.”
Sanchez was part of the Arsenal attack which dismantled Manchester United’s defence in their last Premier League outing.
The Gunners are expected to comfortably overcome the Golden Boys this evening but Watford have proved this term they are no pushovers.
However, Ighalo does admit the Hornets will have to double their efforts to close down “the team that plays the best football in the Premier League”.
“They have a lot of pace up front. (Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain, (Theo) Walcott and Sanchez.
“We have to be mentally and physically ready to stop those guys. We will give our best and work hard as we always do.
“It won’t be easy but anything can happen in football. We hope to get something from the game.”
That will be a tall order but Watford are certainly capable. They are defensively resolute and have conceded just once at Vicarage Road this season.
Conversely, the Hornets have struggled to score in front of their own fans. They had chances but haven’t always been clinical.
“Every opportunity you get in the Premier League you have to take it,” Ighalo admitted. “If not, you are going to pay for it. In the Championship if you miss a lot of chances you can still score goals.
"In the Premier League you have a lot of teams bigger than Watford so any opportunity you have you have to take them.”
When a clear-cut opportunity has fallen to Ighalo he has usually found the net. No player in England’s top four divisions has scored more goals in 2015 then the Nigerian. But he believes he can get even better.
He said: “I’m lucky to always be at the right place at the right time. You always try to anticipate and get close to the ball because I know when I’m in there any opportunity could come my way. I’m happy the opportunities are coming.
“I am working hard and learning every day. When the goals come that is good but if they don’t and the team is winning then I would still be fulfilled.”
Ighalo started the season playing as a number ten with Golden Boys captain Troy Deeney leading the attack.
However, after Watford failed to score in three consecutive league games, Quique Sanchez Flores swapped the duo’s positions. Ighalo has since scored four goals in four matches.
“In the pre-season I was used as the number ten. So I’d get into the 18 yard box when we were attacking but then I had to run back and defend when we didn’t have the ball.
“That is something I had never done but it has helped me. I knew I had a great season ahead of me in pre-season.”
