Greg Lea
When Francis Coquelin became an undroppable mainstay of Arsenal’s side almost immediately after returning from a loan spell at Championship club Charlton Athletic in December last year, it felt like a development that had come about more by accident than design.
Coquelin, brought into the team only after injuries had ruled Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta out of action for a number of weeks, provided the tough tackling and defensive mindset that had previously been lacking in the middle of the park.
As such, the Frenchman quickly became a permanent fixture in Arsene Wenger’s starting line-up, and has missed just two of Arsenal’s top-flight encounters since returning to the fold 11 months ago.
His partner in the engine room has usually been Santi Cazorla, redeployed as a deep-lying playmaker after previously being used in one of the three advanced slots behind the lone striker in Wenger’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
At the time, Cazorla’s positional switch also felt somewhat reactive, born out of injury-fuelled absences and Wenger’s general desire to fit as many of his attack-minded midfielders into the same side as possible.
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Perhaps, though, the Frenchman deserved more credit than he initially received. Cazorla has been superb ever since a man-of-the-match performance in his new role against Manchester City in January.
The former Malaga man showed an excellent blend of qualities in that 2-0 triumph, winning the ball back through well-timed tackles and interceptions before distributing it with accuracy.
He has continued in a similar vein in subsequent months, bringing creativity and a fabulous range of passing — with both feet, each as strong as the other — to the midfield. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have grabbed most of the headlines, but Cazorla has arguably been Arsenal’s best player in 2015.
For all of his fine displays, however, it has been suggested that the Spaniard may not be the best central midfield option in the very biggest games, particularly away from home.
The 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month saw Cazorla withdrawn at half time after being given the runaround by Mauricio Pochettino’s young charges, though Wenger later revealed that the 30-year-old had been “half-conscious” and was not operating at his full capacity.
He also struggled in the 5-1 Uefa Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich earlier this month but, in his defence, he was far from alone as Arsenal were blown away by the imperious Bundsliga champions.
Gary Neville branded Wenger “either arrogant or naive” in August for believing he could win the Premier League title with someone as physically slight as Cazorla in the centre of the pitch.
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The former Manchester United defender’s remarks came in reference to the fact that many title-winning teams in England have featured might and muscle in midfield, including Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit at Arsenal; Manchester City’s Yaya Toure and Fernandinho; the Roy Keane-Paul Ince duo at Manchester United; and Claude Makelele and Michael Essien, who won the championship with Chelsea in 2005/06.
It is something for Wenger to consider ahead of trips to Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City on the horizon, games in which Arsenal are likely to have less possession than usual and be pressed far higher and heavier.
For now, though, there is little doubt that the positives outweigh the negatives. Cazorla brings cohesion to the side with his passing from deep, and is able to link the team together, set the tempo and supply the ammunition to the forward line.
As Hector Bellerin exclaimed last week: “He’s the little magician, that’s what we [the Arsenal squad] call him.”
Coquelin and Cazorla were both playing elsewhere — the former at a different club and the latter in a different position — this time last year, but whether by luck or judgement, Wenger has found a central midfield axis that looks capable of contributing to a sustained challenge for the title.
Fernandinho — City’s unsung hero
Think of signings made by Manchester City and Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Raheem Sterling and Yaya Toure are the sort of names that immediately spring to mind.
It is interesting to note, however, that of those listed above only Aguero, Sterling and De Bruyne were more expensive than Fernandinho, the Brazilian midfielder who moved to the Etihad Stadium from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 in a deal worth £30 million (Dh168.2m)
He may not have been the most glamorous of acquisitions, but Fernandinho has been an essential part of the City side ever since his arrival.
Playing in the 30-year-old’s role in a team managed by an attack-minded coach such as Manuel Pellegrini can be a rather thankless task.
Indeed, while the Chilean’s commitment to playing front-foot football is admirable, it has often placed a great strain on Fernandinho, who has regularly been relied upon to single-handedly break up play in front of the back four as his partner Yaya Toure runs forward to link up with the likes of Silva and Aguero.
At Shakhtar, Fernandinho was primarily used as a box-to-box midfielder, which has made his successful adaptation into a sitting player all the more impressive.
The Brazilian still enjoys the odd foray forward, but it is the balance he provides in a forward-thinking team that makes him so vital to Pellegrini’s outfit.
A contract extension, reportedly on the cards after his terrific start to the campaign, would be a just reward for one of the Premier League’s most underrated players.
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