Dani Alves believes Alexis Sanchez never fully made it at Barcelona because he never fully understood the philosophy.

The Chilean left Camp Nou for Arsenal in the summer of 2014 and has become one of the Gunners' top performers because he has been afforded the freedom to be the star man.

Ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League Round of 16 second leg between the two clubs, Brazilian defender Alves suggests his South American counterpart has taken his individual game to a new level in England due to the fact that he is Arsenal's 'protagonist'.

"Alexis didn't fail at Barcelona but it's hard to play here because you have to understand the playing idea," Alves told the Daily Mail.

"He's a great player and I always knew that he would be a success when he left, especially if he went somewhere he would be the protagonist. He's the kind of player who needs that.

"In the end, you're going to have the protagonism anyway but you have to understand that, at Barcelona, it's not enough just to be a great player.

"You need to have a great understanding of the way Barcelona play and, if you do, then you will have a long career here.

"Those that come and go, and that doesn't mean they're bad players. They go somewhere else and they enjoy it because they're beasts. But at Barcelona it's not enough just to be a beast of a player."