Stand-in Captain Cazorla the key to Arsenal starting well?

With Arsenal just days away from kicking off the latest bid to win the Premier League title, there was still no official word on which of the players would be given the honour (arguably a dubious one in light of recent captaincies) of taking over the role of club captain from the departed Spaniard Mikel Arteta.

A few weeks ago it was being rumoured that our BFG Per Mertesacker would be the man with the armband but almost as soon as that news hit the press the German got injured and had to have an operation that will keep him out of action for most of the season.

Just because our last two captains Arteta and Vermaelen spent more time in the treatment room than on the pitch does not make it a good idea, so it seemed logical that the boss would hand it to another player who would be playing and it was reported that it could be our midfield maestro Santi Cazorla.

I thought that would be a great choice, for a few reasons. One is that his ability means he would be a first team regular. He is also a very popular figure in the dressing room and would help to keep the mood positive. From his position in the centre of midfield Santi is usually the heartbeat of our side as well and his style of play is the essence of Arsenal.

Who better to set the tone for the season and get us off to a good start than captain Cazorla? Well it has now been announced on the Arsenal website that our crocked German defender is Wenger’s slightly baffling choice. However, as he is injured the job will be done by other senior Gunners, with Petr Cech and Koscielny being mentioned.

For tomorrow, however, the armband will be worn by Cazorla and hopefully the qualities that I think should have made him our club captain will help us get off to the perfect start against Liverpool.

Bob.