Since reverting to a three man central midfield at the outset of the 2009-10 season, Arsene Wenger has undergone a sort of philosophical struggle. In a midfield triumvirate, the roles of the holding player and the number 10 are reasonably well defined. It is the player that acts as a bridge between the two that defines the chemistry of the unit, the gum on the cigarette paper that binds the contraption together. Wenger has often toiled with the precise mould of this player.
This is the player that symbolizes the tussle between attack and defence like no other. Initially, the manager erred on the side of caution here. He started by teaming Denilson and Song alongside one another in an inferior nod to Liverpool´s Alonso and Mascherano axis. It was a reasonably solid combination, but it often left too much of the creative burden on Fabregas, which became starker as Arshavin’s love handles grew proportionately to his levels of disinterest.
Wenger displayed that sense of caution at the back end of the 2012-13 season when he played Aaron Ramsey alongside Mikel Arteta. In the season that followed, Ramsey blossomed into a genuine box to box option. That model served Arsenal (and Ramsey) well but lacked fluidity and eventually became too predictable. 2010-11 was the closest Arsene came to cracking the code, as the youthful Jack Wilshere’s mix of tenacity and technique, as well as his ability to carry the ball dovetailed beautifully with Song and Fabregas. One suspects that had he been available more often, Tomas Rosicky could have perfected this function too.
This season, the manager seems to have finally stumbled across the perfect number 8 in Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard has demonstrated the perfect blend of qualities for the position and holds the key to Arsenal’s new found balance. He appeals to the Wenger’s preference for a playmaker in the position, but has, perhaps surprisingly, developed his defensive acumen. From an attacking point of view, the ‘regista’ role makes perfect sense for him and Cazorla seems to have found his niche. In his first season, Cazorla played predominantly as a number 10, but his wanderlust meant he was not always ideal for the position.
He is not committed enough to playing in the final third of the pitch, preferring to drop deep in search of possession. Last season, with the procurement of Ozil, Santi moved to the left hand side. It was a slightly better fit, especially as his understanding with the German grew. But again, the fact that so little of his play occurs in the opponent´s penalty area meant that we did not quite extract the best from him. Still enough to be a significant player of course, but it felt as though we were perhaps juicing 80-85% of the ability from this pint-sized magician.
A deeper midfield role befits a man of his technical ability, affording him time and space to pull strings. His wonderfully quick feet in tight situations make him a very valuable defensive weapon. Alongside the tenacious qualities of Francis Coquelin, Cazorla has been able to amend for the loss of Mikel Arteta with his ability in possession in Arsenal’s half. Especially notable is his work near the full-backs, where his technical ability helps the Gunners to pass their way out of a jam. At 30, the Spaniard has reached his physical peak and in his third season in England, he is perfectly adapted to the Premier League. These two facets have allowed him to develop his work in regaining possession.
He has a useful tackling style, his ambidexterity makes him wonderfully balanced, so he is very adept at dangling a leg at the right time. This enables him to not only win the ball back, but to keep it at close quarters too. Without wishing to administer the kiss of death, his fitness record in his time at Arsenal suggests an impressive physical robustness too. But it´s with the football that Cazorla really comes to life. He adds variety to Arsenal’s game because he has a mixture of attributes. He can carry the ball with his mesmeric dribbling, he is capable of bumping off short, one touch passes and, as he illustrated for Ramsey’s goal against Hull on Monday, he is capable of playing more direct, long passes too that make the pitch nice and big.
And this is why Cazorla has been so influential in balancing Arsenal. He is an enabler. Giroud is an ond too, but in a different way. Good midfield players don’t just play well, they recognise and appreciate their teammates strengths and help others to flourish. Santi dovetails well with Ramsey because the Welshman runs without the ball and Santi is able to find him, as Hull found to their cost. Cazorla facilitates for Arsenal´s more direct players, such as Ramsey and Alexis.
The Gunners lack a truly creative player in their front three, a schemer in the Hazard, Goetze or Reus mould. The likes of Chamberlain, Walcott, Welbeck, Giroud and Ramsey are reasonably direct, whilst Alexis is too impulsive to be a true playmaker. The current front 3 of Ramsey, Giroud and Alexis is actually rather direct and not overly subtle, but Cazorla´s presence behind Özil makes this less of an issue. Santi’s discipline also allows Özil to play in his favoured central position. The German likes to drift all over the field anyway, but psychologically, he seems to feel happier starting in a more central berth.
Good technical players love to play together and you can sense the trust and the chemistry between Özil and Cazorla. Effectively, the capture of Santi ushered in a new era for Arsenal signings and Özil and Alexis have taken the baton. Tactically, in the current setup, Cazorla is not so much a baton as a bridge between the defensive and attacking elements of the team. He has become both anchor and artiste. The marriage of qualities between him and Coquelin are interesting and unorthodox, as @zonal_marking explores here.
It’s a sign of a reasonably healthy campaign when a team has several contenders for Player of the Season. Were it not for injury, the likes of Mesut Özil and Olivier Giroud may be more serious candidates than they already are, whilst Francis Coquelin started his first league game on December 28th. One suspects that Alexis Sanchez will hoover up a lot of the popular vote and justifiably too.
It’s a week where polls and ballots occupy us more than usual and when the time comes to vote for Arsenal’s Player of the Season, my little X is going in the box marked ‘Santiago Cazorla.’
Follow me on Twitter @Stillberto
