Arsenal will have options going into the midweek match up against PSG, but Santi Cazorla should not be one. The Spaniard must be benched.
Arsenal’s stacked midfield will always leave Arsene Wenger with options. And now that the schedule is picking up, those options are about to come in handy. After all, what is the point in having options if you don’t use them?
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The first option that Wenger must utilize is benching Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard has been a magician early in the season, taking the helm early on and leading the team in both goals and assists (two each).
But we have to remember that he is 31 years old , his legs have been weary as of late and, while he has never exactly had injury troubles, the best way to get someone injured is to play them too much. Especially when they aren’t as fit as they were as a 25 year old.
Cazorla fits in that mold. Last season he started three games in the span of eight days prior to getting injured and, while that may not have directly caused the lengthy injury, you can bet that it did not help. That cannot be repeated this early in the season with so much on the line. Again, that’s what options are for. The little Spaniard needs to be fully rejuvenated for the weekend’s EPL clash.
So let’s talk options. It seems set in stone that Granit Xhaka will play. He has experience in Europe and I was actually surprised that he didn’t play against Southampton, but international duty got in the way. Now he is undoubtedly fit, so now he undoubtedly plays.
Wenger is going to want more passing to go along with him, as PSG will force Arsenal to get creative, so the options come down to Aaron Ramsey and Mohamed Elneny, with Coquelin not the biggest offensive threat.
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I would love to see Ramsey back in action, but he has only just returned to training and he absolutely cannot be risked again. Plus, with Wenger’s sudden cautious streak, I don’t think he will be.
As such, the mantle falls to Mohamed Elneny. The Egyptian has carved out a niche as a controlling/passing specialist that makes up for what he lacks in offensive ingenuity and defensive grit with sturdy reliability.
Pairing Xhaka and Elneny has not happened yet, but the idea of it is rather tantalizing, as both control the ball, have an aura of calm about them, and rarely ever misstep.
This is the way to go against PSG. If Ramsey is not 100% fit, then send Elneny out there and let’s see just how well the midfield controls the match.
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