Santi Cazorla had a mixed performance as Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-1.
Santi Cazorla enjoyed a mixed evening last night as Arsenal defeated Aston Villa.
He touched the ball more times than any player, and completed more passes than any other Gunner, including the second highest in the final third of the pitch.
Yet the Spaniard still found himself attracting the ire of fans after a piece of slack play allowed Villa to begin an attack which resulted in the home side scoring, putting Arsenal under pressure for the final 15 minutes.
First, here’s a look at what he did do well…
Touches:
| Player | Team | Pos | Touches | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | MF | 115 | 1 | 90 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal | DF | 114 | 1 | 90 |
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | MF | 98 | 1 | 90 |
| Mesut Özil | Arsenal | MF | 98 | 1 | 90 |
Passes:
| Player | Team | Pos | Total Pass | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | MF | 92 | 1 | 90 |
| Mesut Özil | Arsenal | MF | 88 | 1 | 90 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal | DF | 84 | 1 | 90 |
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | MF | 79 | 1 | 90 |
Successful passes in the final third:
| Player | Team | Pos | Successful Final Third Passes | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesut Özil | Arsenal | MF | 45 | 1 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | MF | 39 | 1 | 90 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal | DF | 23 | 1 | 90 |
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | MF | 20 | 1 | 90 |
Goal attempts:
| Player | Team | Pos | Total Scoring Att | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal | FW | 4 | 1 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | MF | 2 | 1 | 90 |
| Serge Gnabry | Arsenal | MF | 1 | 1 | 69 |
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | MF | 1 | 1 | 90 |
Interceptions:
| Player | Team | Pos | Interception | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal | MF | 5 | 1 | 90 |
| Laurent Koscielny | Arsenal | DF | 3 | 1 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | MF | 2 | 1 | 90 |
| Nacho Monreal | Arsenal | DF | 2 | 1 | 66 |
Yet here’s a table Cazorla won’t enjoy seeing:
| Player | Team | Pos | Error Lead To Goal | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | MF | 1 | 1 | 90 |
The midfielder has played 90 minutes in the past five consecutive games for Arsenal, but after an eight day rest there is little accounting for tiredness when judging his mistake.
Arsene Wenger will surely forgive the Spaniard, after all the goal did not cost his team. Cazorla will also hope it is out of his system.
To focus solely on the error would be wrong as the tables above show, with Cazorla a key performer and leading the Arsenal team in many areas, also making interceptions.
What he needs to do to lift his game is to ensure his passing, especially in the final third is more cutting. He has just two assists all season.
Save for the two goals against Tottenham and Liverpool this season he is not looking anywhere near as incisive as the last, and Gooners will hope he can find a solution to that. When he is gifting goals to the other team, all the touches in the world won’t make up for it.
Clouded by his giving the ball away for the Villa goal, reaction on Twitter to Cazorla’s goal was certainly mixed. He will be glad he held his #AskSanti Q&A yesterday rather than today.
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