Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsene Wenger Avoiding Making a Decision for Arsenal between Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla

By Josh Sippie

facebooktwitterreddit

One of the biggest talking points prior to Arsenal’s clash with Crystal Palace was the decision Arsene Wenger had to make between Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey. We here at Pain in the Arsenal were a split decision on the matter, some vouching for Santi Cazorla, some choosing Aaron Ramsey. In the end, Arsene Wenger did the mature thing and put the decision off for another day.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

This decision left me scratching my head. Clearly I am of the belief that Aaron Ramsey should be starting, but I am certainly not of the belief that they should both be starting. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked unstoppable against Chelsea and aside from his giveaway against West Ham, he looked our only viable threat.

To sit the Ox just to avoid making a decision over who should play alongside Francis Coquelin does not do any favors to the team.

For starters, Arsenal had no formation. It was an amorphous blob. Cazorla and Ramsey had free reign to go anywhere they want. Literally, anywhere. And they used that free reign to pop up wherever they pleased. It may not seem like the worst situation in the world, but remember one of the main problems Arsenal had last week? Width.

By starting Alexis and Aaron Ramsey on the wings, Arsenal gain goal-scoring threats from the center of the pitch but a lot of the width is lost and falls to Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal, who can then suffer on defense, especially Monreal, who does not have the recovery speed that Bellerin does.

Arsenal need that true winger. They had it in the Ox, who was looking to take the season by storm.

It is still up for question whether Ramsey and Cazorla can coexist on the same pitch. They both want the same position and both of their future’s have come in question at Arsenal.

More from Arsenal News

Santi Cazorla has indicated that he wants to play in Spain again before his career ends and seeing as how he is 30 years old, he is going to want to get back in the next couple years.

On the other side, Aaron Ramsey made it quite clear that he was upset at having lost his spot to Cazorla. He was willing to play right wing but he was not happy about it. Arsene Wenger is not doing any favors to anyone by playing Ramsey on the right wing of the amorphous blob.

A decision really has to be made. Keeping the Ox on the bench to put off making a choice is not going to fly. The Ox is too prolific and too valuable. Even if each start is treated like an audition, Wenger has to start seeing how Ramsey and Cazorla do on their own because he cannot keep running them both out there. If for no other reason, for the sheer fact that the Ox has to be out there as much as possible.

Next: Monreal nearing his end?

More from Pain in the Arsenal

Home/Arsenal News