Arsenal Felt the Absence of Santi Cazorla Against Middlesbrough

Arsenal’s run of seven consecutive wins came to an end as they failed to break down a stubborn Middlesbrough side at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Against a highly organised outfit, Arsenal keenly felt the absence of the creative midfielder Santi Cazorla. The absence of the smallest man in the Arsenal squad left a huge void in the middle of the park.

This match marked Arsene Wenger’s 67th birthday, but there will not be many celebrations in the Arsenal boss’ household tonight. The point has taken the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table, but a victory for Manchester City against Southampton will knock them off top spot. This was an opportunity for Arsenal to continue their momentum and build a small cushion at the summit of the league. Instead, they slipped up and wasted a golden chance to demonstrate their title credentials.

Arsenal paid the price for their exertions in mid-week—and not just in the form of Cazorla’s injury. Wenger had made only three outfield changes for the match against Ludogorets. He was rewarded with an emphatic 6-0 win, but Arsenal looked physically tired and bereft of ideas against Middlesbrough.

Ludogorets are an inferior team, and Arsenal could probably have afforded to rotate more heavily and keep the squad fresh for this Premier League game. Wenger conceded to arsenal.com:

We paid a little price for the Champions League on Wednesday night and usually when you play at home you still would like to manage to win but we couldn’t. We could’ve lost the game as well in the first half, but that’s the modern game you know. If you don’t score early, if you’re not sharp enough, if you’re not creative enough. We lacked a bit of creativity today and then you can have a draw or even lose the game.

Cazorla is certainly one who could have been left out of the Champions League tie. In his stead, Wenger could have started Swiss international Granit Xhaka, who share the Spaniard’s ability to distribute the ball from deep. Instead, he risked Cazorla and he picked up that fateful injury.

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