Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil - Arsenal's brothers in arms

Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil – A dream combination?

The saviour has arrived, they said. One swish of his magic wand and the Premier League would be left in awe of a barrage of assists and cute little back-flicks, while defenders across the country would wake up in the middle of the night, clutching their shrink-approved teddy bears, telling anyone who would listen that all they remembered was a pair of great big German eyes. Yes, Mesut Ozil has chosen to don the famous red and white Arsenal jersey, and Gooners the world over have begun day-dreaming about the horrors that await the rest of the league when that star-studded midfield steps out onto the turf every weekend.

But now that the dust (from rolling out the red carpet – last taken out from a closet room in the Emirates when a certain Andrei Arshavin arrived after a whirlwind Euro ’08) has settled on the events that transpired on that fateful deadline day, there seems to be a new buzz around town. What of the saint Santi Cazorla?

Saviour since Arsene Wenger so cheekily lured him from Malaga for a fraction of his true worth, the diminutive Spaniard has been a major reason why our sulky(not the word I normally use to describe the Spurs, but hey) North London neighbours still lie below us in the pecking order. Ozil’s arrival seemingly suggests that he would take up the reins in the centre of the park, while Cazorla would be “shunted” to a role on the left flank. Now, the reason I’ve earmarked the word “shunted”, is because I’d like to tell all you naysayers out there that this is professional football, not recess time at kindergarten.

Yes, today’s footballers, young men with too much money and an over-inflated impression of themselves, are prone to behaving exactly like three year old kids when they don’t get exactly what they want (don’t get me started on Theo Walcott‘s “I’m-gonna-be-the-next-Thierry-Henry” phase). But to suggest that the arrival of a truly world-class signing such as Mesut Ozil would curb the subtle genius of a model professional like Santi Cazorla – that shows a lack of footballing nous, to say the least.

To quote the lovable Rajesh Koothrappali from The Big Bang Theory – “That’s like trying to ruin ice cream with chocolate sprinkles!” Now, I know the words of a fictional astrophysicist aren’t going to convince hard-nosed football “experts” (note the inverted commas again), so let’s look at this logically (Sheldon Cooper, anyone?). In his time under Arsene Wenger, Cazorla has spent more than his fair share of time on that left flank, more than ever during that run of results that saw Arsenal clinch the holy grail of fourth place and Champions league qualification. Granted, Arsenal dug deep for those results, but Cazorla had a big say in that. He understood the needs of the team, and continued to pull the strings from that “reduced” (really?) role.

The biggest weapon in both of these players’ arsenal has still to be touched upon; their versatility. Not only is Ozil’s presence going to free up a lot more space for the ambidextrous Spaniard, their link-up play adds a whole new dimension to an Arsenal team that has, in the past, looked increasingly to the pace of an erratic Walcott out on the right flank. I bet that despite all the hoopla and the fervour that Ozil has created among the Arsenal faithful, the man who is most excited by his arrival is Cazorla himself.

From a purely selfish point of view, he could be forgiven for thinking that Ozil is probably going to set him up umpteen times this time around, a welcome change from being the sole architect, and a testament to how highly regarded the former Schalke man really is. The thought of having the German around, making those runs in behind the striker, finding that critical space in and around the danger area, and finally, the coup de grâce – the killer pass to whoever is lucky enough to receive it; that must make the ball of energy that is Santi Cazorla quiver with excitement. Ozil himself, of course, having been raised with the German philosophy that merges old school German discipline with a new edge of ingenuity, a system that had the world purring at the World Cup in 2010, will only consider Cazorla a comrade.

So you see, these are men of a different ilk. For them, it is not the final touch that sends the ball into the back of the net that is a crude, and yet necessary end to the duel. Though they are not averse to such baseness, these masters revel in the game in the subtle yet deadly art of the playmaker. So when the final blow truly lands, it is but a merciful kill. The real damage was done beforehand, the enemy torn to shreds before they even knew what hit them.

They would only welcome another brother with open arms. Their art is more sacred than any qualms about the spotlight. It would only brighten when the two of them are out there together anyway. Chocolate sprinkles, anyone?