Santi Cazorla’s widely acclaimed performance at the Etihad, much like the vast majority of his displays over the Christmas and New Year period, was nothing short of mesmerising. There was an effortless brilliance to the 30-year-old’s play that bore many similarities with his irresistible 2012/13 campaign after arriving from Málaga, where on the Costa Del Sol, in much the same fashion, his ubiquitous influence was widely recognised as the work of a footballing magician, capable of phenomenal feats most could not even conceive.
This glowing praise shared nothing in common with the opening weeks of the current season, however, with his impact on proceedings becoming more detrimental than positive he was subjected to a great deal of scathing criticism. There was no semblance of the confidence to his game bearing fruit at present, and many encountered tremendous difficulty affording the diminutive playmaker time to recover and endeavour his way back into form. Cazorla is a seasoned professional, he’s faced adversity in the past and – fortunately for the Gunners – can overcome scepticism as a result of that, but there remains a valuable lesson worth learning that can be applied to similar circumstances within the squad at the moment.
Aaron Ramsey’s status among Arsenal fans represents the quickest transition from adored hero to maligned villain in recent memory. The euphoria enjoyed after his extra-time winner in the FA Cup final was only months later exchanged in return for grossly unwarranted scrutiny, with his every appearance analysed to the slightest lapse of concentration and emphasised over the more promising aspects to the extent that he could simply do nothing right in the eyes of his formerly crazed admirers. Context, the most precious qualifier to any debate, was inexplicably disregarded and instead the Welshman experienced the direct contrast to the reception only a short while beforehand garnered from everyone associated with the club. Ramsey’s demeanour and body language made it abundantly clear that this newfound surge of hate affected his psyche and decision-making on the pitch, and for some time it really didn’t seem as if a remedy would ever present itself.
This, rather unsurprisingly, exacerbated his flaws at the time and it wasn’t long before some started to question whether or not he genuinely merited the widespread hype his breakthrough yielded; testament to the unjustifiably fickle environment created by this current generation of football observers. Due to the impossibly subjective parameters it took a goal of the year worthy effort in the away meeting with Galatasaray for the vitriol prevalent within many opinions at the time to relent. In typically Arsenal fashion though, once a growing number began to acknowledge his improvement he was again sidelined by injury, but now that he’s nearing full fitness it’s crucial to stress the effects that unfounded censure can have on the players we as fans rely on to deliver the glory we so incessantly demand.
In order to accelerate the gradual process the 24-year-old needs to perform at usual pace he needs to be facilitated into the system with the caveat that whatever time he spends out of action alleviates his immediate capabilities. An example to illustrate the benefits of this treatment would be his return from a thigh problem over the closing weeks of the previous campaign. Making full use of the space selflessly created by Mesut Özil, he was able to fulfil certain facets of the box-to-box role largely to thank for last term’s successes and did so whilst also developing his fitness and stamina to normal standards. This worked reciprocally, Özil himself recovered from hamstring issues around the same time as Ramsey made his comeback, and by balancing his on the ball duties with an emphasis on off the ball movement his workload wasn’t so intense.
It’s very possible, in my opinion at least, that a policy of this ilk could reap the same rewards for Arsène Wenger over coming weeks. In the 2-0 win over Manchester City the diligently structured back-line and well organised midfield manufactured a counter-attacking threat unfamiliar to most matches featuring the usually stubborn – to their own ideals – North London outfit. While this caused problems for the hosts throughout the ninety minutes, Alexis’ rare lack of sharpness in possession and Ramsey’s fatigue having spent so much time on the treatment table combined in particular to limit what Arsenal were capable of. The reintroduction of Özil, who many regarded as the best number ten on the planet during his time with Real Madrid in a system which relied on dangerous transitions, could maximise the threat carried for occasions of this kind and at the same time abolish the myth that he is invisible as much as he represents a peripheral figure during the so-called big games.
This style won’t be a permanent fixture and can only function by adapting to specific opposition and personnel, yet characteristics of the approach can nonetheless be taken forward and used as means of bringing Mesut back into the fold as seamlessly as possible. Although this flexibility hasn’t been commonplace with the way Wenger has set up his side of late – in fact it’s arguably architected his team’s own downfall against fellow title challengers in the Premier League – the concentrated industry shown collectively clearly points to scope for more of the same in the future, and the former Schalke youth product can definitely play an integral part in its operation. If supporters can build patience and if Le Prof is prepared to accommodate his returning cast where appropriate, one would anticipate more of the free-flowing brand of cohesive football on exhibited during the latter weeks of 2013/14.
Theo Walcott spent the best part of ten months recovering from devastating cruciate ligament damage sustained in January 2014, and then after having made his long-awaited return to first team action picked up a groin injury to prolong his absence into the new year. He played a very scarce number of minutes in 2014 and, while he has shown glimpses of the same electrifying winger in the final third over recent appearances, rust is clearly an issue and a consequence that he’s having to deal with. This is understandable, the physical and psychological damage are mitigating factors for his underwhelming finishing of late, and refreshingly more are beginning to shy away from hyperbolic frustration. Maybe this is an isolated incident and false hope for change, however the fact that more are reserving their instinctive judgement, whereas with the same situation in the past a more zealous approach would surely have been adopted, is certainly incentive for contained encouragement.
There was much discussion in the wake of Theo’s recent comments waxing lyrically about the attacking options at Wenger’s disposal. The 25-year-old remarked to Arsenal Player: “I think this squad probably does beat [Henry, Bergkamp, Reyes, Pires and Ljungberg in 2006], but we need to prove it first,” inciting outrage with some who mistakenly misinterpreted the quote because of the attention grabbing techniques deployed by publications such as the Mirror, for example, who made many first aware of his claims. As opposed to the misplaced arrogance they and others attempted to promote, this showed the self-belief necessary for a unit to be productive and at the same time exuded maturity with acknowledgement that he and his colleagues have to provide evidence on the field first in order to add substance. Walcott, Özil and Ramsey, along with the man of the moment Santi Cazorla, can deliver much joy on all fronts over coming months and potentially fuel a surge up the table, but will only do so with the patience implored throughout this column.
