Arsenal: Santi Cazorla, The Forgotten Saviour

Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla returned with a terrific performance in the 8-0 thrashing of Viking FK. Could he be the forgotten saviour of Arsenal’s coming campaign?

Arsenal have a very crowded midfield and Arsene Wenger will have to be extremely selective in which players he plays and who he chooses to drop. After the addition of Granit Xhaka, Arsenal now boast a plethora of starting quality central midfielders, all of which will be pining for regular starts.

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These include Xhaka himself, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey. However, it may well be none of these that cements his place as Arsenal key player. Sometimes a forgotten man, it could well be Santi Cazorla who blossoms once again into the central cog of Arsenal’s midfield.

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Last season, Cazorla seemed to settle into his best position. Signed initially as a versatile attacking midfielder, Wenger had employed the magical Spaniard on both the left and right wing as well as a more central role in behind the center forward.

While Cazorla performed admirably in these roles, he was never able to forge himself as an established starter in one position. He was almost always in the starting eleven, but it was often in differing roles and the lack of continuity certainly hurt his rhythm.

Last year, however, he dropped deeper into a more box-to-box role sliding alongside defensive shield Francis Coquelin and seemed to settle into his preferred role. Playing as a deeper lying playmaker, Cazorla was able to dominate games, getting on the ball as regularly as possible, dictating play and providing Arsenal’s attacks with a structure.

It was an incredibly important role that perhaps was only heightened in the eyes of Arsenal fans once he was out of the side. The second half of the season, Arsenal often looked disjointed and awkward with and without the ball. Cazorla provided the team with a link between defence and attack, something that could not be replaced in his absence.

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Now, though, he is back to full fitness and looked exceptionally sharp in Arsenal’s thrashing of Vikings FK. The Gunners will need their majestic maestro on top form this coming year if they harbor any hopes of winning the Premier League. No matter how many other options in the squad there are, no one can replicate the role of Santi Cazorla.