Arsenal: Replacing Santi Cazorla should begin with one key trait

Arsenal are patiently waiting to replace a key piece of their formula from years past – Santi Cazorla. Their search needs to start with on key trait.

It’s still not clear how long Santi Cazorla will be gone for, but the general consensus is that we have seen the last of the magical Spaniard and that it’s time for Arsenal to saddle up and find a replacement.

That’s no easy task. Cazorla was, without a doubt, a world class player with, perhaps equally important, a world class attitude. He exuded positivity even in the worst times and that is the bit that will be near impossible to replace.

That said, as with most great players, sometimes they are irreplaceable. The thing that needs to be done, rather than replacing, is moving on in the best way possible by replicating a lot of the traits that made that particular player special.

There were a lot of things that made Santi Cazorla special. He was a constant presence in the midfielder, had the softest feet on the pitch, a genius of a passing mind and he learned how to utilize all of his talents to maximize himself on the defensive front as well.

So where do you start? Easy. You start with his energy.

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The more I watch football, the more I realize what I find to be the most useful quality in a midfielder. That quality is their energy. No matter what a player does or doesn’t do, if they have high energy and cover a lot of ground, they are quick to make up for mistakes and they are asserting themselves on the match.

Cazorla did that to perfection. He was everywhere, never quitting. He built on it from there, obviously, by being careful with the ball, steadfast in defense, a menace pushing forward, so on and so forth.

But for me, the magic started in his ability to have such a big presence for being such a small guy.

There are candidates out there that replace Cazorla as well as we can expect. Some that are ready right now, some that may take some time. Some that are in house, some that are needing acquisition. Max Meyer and Maycon are both founded in energy and could be fantastic options from outside. Jack Wilshere and Alex Iwobi both have it too and could be internal options.

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I don’t care how we do it, but replacing Cazorla needs to happen. Sticking someone like this next to Granit Xhaka will balance out the Swiss’s smooth, cerebral approach to the game. And that will allow Aaron Ramsey to be the unbridled flyer that he always is.

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