It’s time for Cazorla to shine for Arsenal

What will be Santi’s role with Özil out injured?

It’s going to be a long few months without Mesut Özil. He is without doubt the heart of this team and was just getting back to full fitness as we got into the meat of the season but his opportunity to shine has been taken away and now that gauntlet has fallen to our Spanish magician, Santi Cazorla.

He’s had a rather mediocre season last year that was saved by some really good form from March onwards and I believe he’s carried that on into this season. We’ve played some of our best football when he’s started and that’s no coincidence. He offsets Sanchez’s explosiveness with calm, controlled football.

With Özil gone, Cazorla is a guaranteed starter now but what will his role be? I believe he’ll occupy the wide left role in the 4-1-4-1 formation Wenger has adopted. I think that’s a positive as Santi is better personally on the left than Mesut. That’s mainly because he understands how to defend in wide positions far better than the German.

I can also see him being deployed at times in central midfield as he was against Chelsea. He provides a good drive from midfield and is able to quickly turn to our attack and provide them with the correct passes. Wilshere isn’t as refined in that department although he adds a lot more in other areas of the pitch.

Although Santi is aging and is almost 30, he offers a lot to this squad. He’ll definitely be an adequate replacement for Mesut as he recovers and he may be better suited to this particular formation we’re playing at the moment. Only time will tell…

KJ

Tags Cazorla Ozil

15 Comments

  1. Playing Cazorla in the middle will be success. He played in that position in his first season and he did so well.

    1. exactly, in his first season i believe he was one of our stand out players if not THE stand out player. where was he playing?.. through the middle!
      what i like most about Santi is he shoots on sight, left foot, right foot, she SHOOTS!

  2. Twas reported that most of last season Santi had an ankle problem.. no wonder he didn’t play so well. But it healed. And how comes many arsenal players have ankle problems??? must be something with the stone age training tactics being used at arsenal 🙁

  3. One of my favorite players currently at the club. The fact that he can play 10 and has a goal in him is a added bonus.

    On his good his got long range shots, can dribbled past players, his clinical on goal, got a killer pass on him, low center of gravity and doesn’t easily fall over, keeps the ball well, and fairs well on dead balls too.

    Wenger give him a chance in the team as play maker, and not a short stint only, if he regains his form back, he can be one of the best in the game.

  4. “Gunners chairman Sir Chips Keswick revealed the Frenchman is in total control of all footballing matters – a unique scenario in modern football”

    Wenger is responsible of all transfer matters, wages and structural football finance.

    The more I read the “compte rendu” of the AGM, the more I realise how far we are from “reality” on the “field”… We have no chance and never had a chance.

    This what has come out of the AGM on Thursday (amongst other banal and useless things… Nothing really decisive is discussed on those AGM… They are between shareholders and s*cking each other c*cks when the fans pay “l’addition”…).

    Didier Roustan (Wenger’s pundit colleague) said that it will take Arsenal between 4 to 7 years to see the glimpse of a CL winning chance… But Wenger needs to leave first!

    So far, all sports newspapers in France, Spain and some in England have echoed the comment as the reason why Arsenal is failing pathetically and the hopes of major trophies is just a “dream” if those are the objectives (which I believe they are not).

  5. Wilshere is first choice as number… Why?
    Only the “deluded one” knows!

    Santi Cazorla is a better, more skilled, more experienced and smarter than Wilshere.

    All Wenger choices are questionable anyway as his own competency is way too dodgy…!!

  6. I think with Ozil missing Arsene will be very tempted to fall back on 4-1-4-1
    chez ; bellerin – bfg – monreal – gibbs ; flamini ; sanchez – wilshere – cazorla – ox/pod ; welbeck
    it’s just an assumption of course but this looks likely to me.

  7. How much was he given? Because wenger used vela right to increase his spending transfer kitty.the board should be giving wenger a huge fransfer kitty because we are a big club

  8. As for Ozil’s replacement in the team, we never can tell what Wenger is planning. He always seem to have his own philosophy which ends up been different from ours. Don’t be surprised if he decides to pull Rosicsky back into the team to play Ozil’s role rather than using Cazorla. And I think Monreal wud replace the injured Koscielny.

  9. He is another player who is pissed of with arsenal and more to the point AW. What club in the world would keep a player that don’t play YEP AD

  10. To me i think Cazorla is one of the most improved player at arsenal, as been playing well in a some unusual position, but seem to be getting back to season one Cazorla. he rightly deserve that number 10 position behind the striker, which actually allows this arsenal team to play better, but it will be up to our RIDICULous manager.

    I think a wilshere and a rosicky would also enjoy that role, there are also two individuals who could give you a good game in that role who would draw a lot of fouls. SANCHEZ and CAMPBELL, but again the ridiculous manager, suffers some players while others have a free run in the team.

    I will say it again if you not using the players available SELL THEM and watch them flourish somewhere else

  11. As long as Wenger doesn’t play him out of position. He will shine.

    Also, injuries are no time to be nice or complacent.
    Cazorla should play his best and fight for the spot. Just like Welbeck is trying to take the striker spot away from Giroud. If Welbeck was injured, Giroud should do the same. Competition is only a good thing.

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