Arsenal: Santi Cazorla the growing ghost behind the scenes

As Arsenal recover from another damning loss, it is becoming increasingly clear that Santi Cazorla’s absence is decimating this team. He is the growing ghost behind the scenes that needs to return to centre-stage.

There were many problems with Arsenal’s performance on Saturday. The 2-1 loss to Watford compounded a run of three away losses in four games this season, reaffirming the same old issues with the team: A lack of grit and fight; poor game management; defensive vulnerabilities.

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All of these are issues that have surfaced repeatedly for several seasons. They have rarely been addressed by Arsene Wenger, either tactically or personnel-wise, and they continue to restrict the progress and the success of the team — it is no coincidence that the FA Cup, a competition where consistency is less important as six wins will result in the trophy, has been Arsenal’s only trophy in 13 years.

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One of the most, undermining aspects of the second-half performance was the lack of control that they had in the midfield. Wenger selected Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny to provide both protection and power in central areas, hoping to dominate the game through confident and assured play in midfield areas, with and without the ball. That did not happen.

Both grew tired as the game progressed, with the increased pressure that Watford impressed paying dividends, and they lacked composure and assurance when on the ball, gifting possession back to Watford, which, in turn, only heightened the pressure that an already vulnerable back-three were under.

That lack of confidence and calmness on the ball, especially if teams implement a high-pressing strategy on Xhaka, limiting the time and space that he enjoys to spray the raking long passes that he loves to do, has been an issue for this Arsenal side for some time. In fact, it can be traced back to the painful absence of one man, starting more than a year ago.

Santi Cazorla was, and, hopefully, still is, pivotal to the Arsenal midfield. His dual-footed ability allows him to release the ball quickly and accurately off of either flank, meaning that he can circumnavigate a high press with relative ease; his sharp agility and excellent balance meant that he could slalom his way into and out of space, often creating time for himself to pick apart the opposing defence.

It is still unknown when he will return to footballing duties. January seems to be the hoped-for deadline. And his absence is becoming increasingly clear. The uncontrolled, panicked performance against Watford was simply another to add to the evergrowing ‘Cazorla is Important’ case file, and it is a developing concern that Arsenal, a year after his injury, have been unable to find and implement a successful contingency plan.

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Cazorla is an oft-overlooked figure, perhaps because he has been injured for the majority of the past two or three seasons. But his presence, or lack thereof, is becoming a more and more prominent and noticeable effect. He is the ghost behind-the-scenes; Arsenal desperately need him step into the limelight, and take centre-stage.