Santi Cazorla says that the Arsenal players are raring to go for another crack at the Premier League title, but has warned the team need to be stronger at home if they are to do that.
The Spaniard’s mood is perhaps a little different from fans who are anxious over defensive injuries and the lack of any added firepower, and although he accepts it will be tough, says the squard are fired up for the new campaign.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, he said, “We are very excited for the season. No, it’s true. It will be very difficult because there are a lot of great teams — like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City.
“But we have a good team, we are very confident, and we want to start the league in the best form and start the league with a win against Liverpool, let’s hope.”
The Gunners were a bit of a soft touch at times last season, and Cazorla wants them to toughen up, especially at the Emirates.
“We need to improve, we need to improve,” he said. “We need to be more rigorous. I think that was the difference last season: We lost many points at home.
“If we want to win the league, we cannot lose these games. In England, it’s always difficult. Did you see we have example last season: Leicester win the league! I think it’s the most difficult league in the world!”
The Little Magician makes a good point. Some of the losses and draws we had at home last season were really hard to take.
We needed something else, be it more cynicism or more of a “killer instinct”, which hopefully Xhaka will help to address in our midfield.
Dare I say it, but Vardy would have massively helped us cunt up a bit as a team
Easy easy… We don’t want to go full John Terry.
When I saw the headline I thought Santi might be getting Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen in to sort out his house.
We have a good established squad. Frankly these players are good enough at football to win the league but there is more to it and I think Santi is talking exactly about that.
PARDON?
Losing Santi was the main reason the wheels fell off our season last year.
Losing Santi cost us the league last year.
What a man. Anyone else read “We are very excited for the season. No, it’s true. It will be very difficult because there are a lot of great teams — like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City.” as “We are very excited for the season, no? It’s true- it will be very difficult because there are a lot of great teams — like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City.”?
The premier league winners virtually nearly always score more than 80 goals and conceed in the low 30s. We have scored 80 only once since 2004-05, and last season scored only 65. Where are the extra 15-20 goals coming from this year? The last 2 seasons we conceeded 36, so with a little more tightening its possible – If we get another senior defender. We need to buy the quality to score a bagload more goals, and enough depth to survive and thrive in all competitions. Its hard to toughen up when we suffer injury depletion and fixture pile up… Read more »
Last season Ramsey, Walcott, ox and Joel only scored a handful of goals. Iwobi only came into the team towards the end, Alexis didn’t do as well as he can and was injured, and Giroud had a long drought. Then also we have players like Gnabri.
It’s quite possible for the players we already have to score a lot more goals. Whether or not they do remains to be seen.
our squad is good enough to win the title but there is some difficulties inside the team.to win the title,the team must be consistent in all game.
We are going into a new season with Walcott as our striker.
I am lost for words.
Love you Santi
As a fan base, we need to stop acting like over privileged toddlers having a tantrum, and start supporting our current players and manager better. Yes, we haven’t been efficient enough in the transfer market. But we don’t know the reasons for that. Wenger is in the last year of his contract, and won’t renew if he doesn’t perform. Let’s get behind the Arsenal.
I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control and I think I like it. Now where have I heard that before ?
Santi is a magician. We have an amazing midfield with an above average attack. anyways this is my line up for sunday. Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Holding, Monreal, Xhaka, Elneny, Iwobi, Cazorla, Sanchez, Walcott Subs: Ospina, Beliek, Gibbs, Ramsey, Campbell, Chamberain.
Glad to see another Ethiopian gunner here.
So many winnable home games last year we messed up: Palace Swansea, Chelsea, Sp*rs, Liverpool, West Ham. If we won those games we would have had 15 extra points and won the league… Need to make the Emirates a fortress this year!
Counting the draws against sp*rs, Liverpool and Palace, I believe wins would have gotten us an extra 12 points. Yes, it would still have been enough to win the league. But wouldn’t that just be wishful? I mean, no premier league team wins all of their home games in a season.
With the “home improvement” reference the opportunity to photoshop santi’s face on al borland’s body was missed. Stan would make a good Wilson too.
Wilson was faceless rather than silent, though.
I like your suggestion, however.
You’re right perhaps Ivan can be Wilson. Who’s wisdom is largely useless.
Guys, do any of you know why the “Speak Article” doesnt work for me on the phone?
I wanna listen when Im doing stuff (and Im often too lazy to read), and ever since i got Nexus phones it doesnt work. Which is weird since it always has the latest issue of Android.
This is the second Nexus i have where it doesnt work.
Otherwise, agree with our brilliant half pint!
Last update it worked for me again, I think you need Google Text-to-Speech installed / updated
I love how when he talked about the “great” teams he didn’t even mention Leicester as the defending champions. He just notes they won the league.
I love this guy
Just an observation: I must again take exception to Jacks chastising by simply pointing the destinct odor/state of a certain “club”, because when mentioning teams of any quality, by the global media, player, pundits, some blokes gran, who might mount any kind challenge, however remote, in spite of finishing third (pronounced ‘turd’ in some places), they are absent. What does that tell you?