Arsenal: Santi Cazorla Injury Must Keep Carousel Turning

Arsenal may have to do without Santi Cazorla against Middlesbrough as the carousel keeps turning. This is a fantastic opportunity.

Arsenal’s midfield depth is truly being tested now. With Aaron Ramsey out indefinitely with his hamstring problem and Granit Xhaka suspended for his trip-up of Barrow against Swansea, the little magician Santi Cazorla has now come down with an Achilles problem.

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Cazorla took a kick to the back of his heel against Ludogorets and Wenger noticed him limping later on and took him off. It was clear that there was pain.

Going forward, no one seems too certain on if the Spaniard will be fully ready to go against Boro and, quite honestly, he shouldn’t be risked anyway. Keeping Cazorla off the pitch will give the Gunners several fantastic opportunities.

First of all, it will give them a chance to taste-test life without Cazorla. As he gets older, it is only reasonable that we should start planning ahead for life without him. As he is a mainstay, this potential absence will give us a good opportunity to judge how this team adjusts without their sneaky little midfielder at the base.

Secondly, it will give Francis Coquelin a follow-up chance to be the conductor of this offense. He was simply stunning against Ludogorets, but no one is going to take you seriously if you only do that kind of thing to Ludogorets.

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If Le Coq can follow that performance up against a Premier League caliber opponent, suddenly his claim as a starter grows in relevance, forcing Xhaka to step up. It’s a tit-for-tat battle and it’s a superb chance to see how everyone reacts.

Lastly, and perhaps more importantly, it will hand a rare chance to Mohamed Elneny a rare chance to prove him at the top tier of club football. He is always going to be fourth or fifth in line depending on his team mates’ availability, so to actually have a chance to prove that he can go the full 90, contribute to both ends of the ball and not look like he’s missed a beat, it’s a rare opportunity that won’t come around often.

No matter the case, there are many positives to glean from this injury, if indeed it proves to keep Cazorla out for the weekend – which of course is a big ‘if’.

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Either way, Arsenal’s depth has prepared them for a situation like this. Let the carousel keep turning and let the chances keep coming.