With Santi Cazorla out, what happens to Arsenal?
Football News – At the moment, Arsene Wenger is struggling to find a way to make up for the absence of Santi Cazorla in the Arsenal midfield. The Spaniard is still suffering with the achilles problem that saw him withdrawn from the match against Ludogorets on October 19th. With the news that Cazorla is still seeking treatment abroad, it seems improbable that he’ll return anytime soon. Wenger must discover a solution to rebalance his midfield. The problem for the Gunners boss is that replacing Cazorla is essentially an impossible job.
Arsenal have greater depth in midfield than they’ve had for some time. The sheer variety of options is extraordinary, and it speaks volumes as to the riches at Wenger’s disposal when Aaron Ramsey is being forced to play out on the flank rather than in his preferred midfield role.
Unfortunately, amidst a batch of players that also includes Francis Coquelin, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny, there is no like-for-like replacement for Cazorla. Talking to The Express, Wenger described what Arsenal miss with Cazorla:
“When Santi is out we miss the pass from deep midfield to high midfield, security on the ball, getting out of pressure. When we are getting closed down, he gets you out of tight situations and creates openings for the team.”
The truth is that it’s a pretty unique skill-set. Arsenal have midfielders who can pass—Mohamed Elneny is very efficient on the ball, but lacks Cazorla’s imagination. Aaron Ramsey can dribble, but doesn’t offer the technical security of the Spaniard. No-one in the Arsenal squad can match his remarkable two-footedness—the ambidextrous brilliance that makes him so hard to close down. Ordinarily, the opposition would attempt to show a player of that quality on to his weaker foot. In Cazorla’s case, that’s impossible—he’s just as dangerous on either side. The on-loan Jack Wilshere is probably the most similar Arsenal player to Cazorla, but he’s limited by his reliance on his left foot.
The current wisdom is that you should have two players for every position in the squad. That’s all well and good, but some players are special. Unfortunately, it’s not realistic to have two Santi Cazorla’s available at any one time. Players like that don’t come along often.
Wenger has acknowledged the need to recalibrate his midfield in Cazorla’s absence:
“No matter how big Santi is, and God knows that I rate him highly, we have as well drawn and lost games with him as well. We have to find a solution with the players that are on the pitch.”
Wenger is right. It’s time to stop looking to discover a directly analogous player, and instead find a new formula for a functional midfield.
Including Xhaka would seem sensible. While he can’t replicate Cazorla’s quick feet and dribbling ability, he does have an excellent range of passing. If Arsenal are looking for someone who can find Mesut Ozil’s feet from deep, and play early passes over the top for Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott, Xhaka fits the bill. With Cazorla out, it’s time the £35 million man was given his head.
Alongside him, Coquelin’s ball-winning ability and defensive nous make him a safe bet. Wenger has spoken of his believe that Xhaka is best in a box-to-box role, so fielding the conservative Coquelin alongside him appears appropriate. Quite where that leaves Ramsey is anyone’s guess, but Wenger has shown in the past that he’s not afraid to leave the Welshman out of the central midfield mix in an attempt to find balance.
Arsenal have a huge game against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek. It’s not the ideal time for experimentation, but with Cazorla set for an extended absence Wenger has to try and find a functional midfield combination. Xhaka and Coquelin looked a promising pair in the north London derby—now might be the time to revert to that duo.
Category: Football
