Former Arsenal player Martin Keown has claimed that the Gunners are really missing midfielder Santi Cazorla and his creative skills, as per Express.
The Spaniard has missed North London club’s last five games after picking up an Achilles injury and it remains to be seen when the midfielder will make a return to the squad.
During his absence, Wenger has rotated his midfield options with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka all getting chances but no one has yet made the position his own.
Keown, who won three Premier League titles with the Gunners, believes the Spaniard is the preferable choice of Wenger in the center of the pitch. Speaking during BBD MOTD show, he said:
Jack Wilshere sitting in the stands – he’s going to be looking at Granit Xhaka and wondering ‘should I be out there myself?’
[Cazorla] is a player Arsenal really miss. Him and another.
He’s the one that Arsene Wenger likes there. He’s brave on the ball, he makes things tick.
Cazorla has an important role when it comes to instigating Arsenal’s attacking moves. He picks up the ball from the back four, and his first thought is to play a forward pass. When the Spanish midfielder is playing, Ozil is invariably more influential and The Gunners have more verticality to their game.
He’s capable of swivelling swiftly in either direction before slaloming through the opposition midfield. He can escape from any situation, enabling the Gunners to launch counters from deep.
Cazorla is simply too important to be cast aside. Age may be encroaching—he turns 32 next month—but his performances are not suffering. The last few weeks have proved that the North London club are still reliant on their dazzling Spaniard. Hopef
