Arsene Wenger says Arsenal did everything they could to avoid putting Santi Cazorla under the surgeon’s knife but have been forced into the decision after anti-inflammatory injections failed to cure the Spaniard’s problematic plantaris tendon.
It was yesterday confirmed that Cazorla will travel to Sweden for an operation next week and could be out of action until March, a state of affairs that the boss admits is a real blow for the Gunners.
“For me, it’s very bad news,” he told his pre-West Ham press conference on Friday.
“You know always the date of the surgery but not the date of when the player will play again.
“I put absolutely everything in place to avoid surgery because it creates always anxiety and rehab. Overall, when you can avoid it you avoid it.
“In this case, unfortunately, we have come to that conclusion. Now they tell he’ll be out for two months at least but two months can sometimes become three.
“Santi is desperate to play football, he’s only happy on the football pitch. I’ve spoken to him. He himself wants to get out of the vicious circle of going out and coming in again. He just wants to cure it.”
Asked about the specifics of the problem, he added: “He has an inflammation at the back of his foot that nobody really knows where it is coming from. He has been treated against this inflammation but the anti-inflammatory injections have not got rid of this problem.
“The surgeon, the specialist we consulted, decided to have an exploratory surgery. That means open [it up] and sees what’s going on in there.”
Given the news, Wenger was also – somewhat unsurprisingly – asked whether he’s happy with Arsenal’s medical record at the moment.
“Yes, of course. I believe on the injury front this season we have been very strong. We have not many injuries. We have injuries where you can question the preparation or the care of the players – that is muscular injuries – we had very few.
“Accidental injuries, down to the structure of your body or repeated competition, we cannot do anything about it…that’s Santi Cazorla. It’s purely accidental, it was a kick at the start.”
Welp
“Accidental injuries, down to the structure of your body or repeated competition, we cannot do anything about it…that’s Santi Cazorla. It’s purely accidental, it was a kick at the start.”
Except we could do something about it – it occurred in a game against Ludogorets when he really should have been rested – he was overplayed and he’s had a chronic achilles injury for a long time. If it’s an accident then it was one that was waiting to happen.
If a remember correctly, there was a whole international break before the Swansea match that preceded the Ludogorets game where Santi had a rest. Also, as Wenger said such accidental injuries like the kick to the achilles can strike anytime irrespective of game time.
Correct, although he’d played 90 minutes in all 4 of the games that preceded Ludogorets and he’d only been rested in the EFL Cup games since missing the opening game of the season. We presumably also wanted him fit for the Boro game which we then dropped points in. It wasn’t necessary to play him against Ludogorets – we knew he had a chronic injury and he needed careful managing, he can’t play games every 3 or 4 days. And, yes, of course a kick can happen at any time, but a) a kick can have more damage if the… Read more »
Agreed – Cazorla needed careful management. For someone so vital to the team & given the other central options, there was no sense in playing him in that game. He was visibly knackered at the end of the Swansea game. Better to have him fresh for the Boro game.
Hindsight makes everyone look like a genius
When you know a player has a chronic injury before it gets worse it isn’t hindsight.
Chronic is the issue here. The achilles was going to be an issue. 1 or 2 more games later would only delay the inevitable, not heal him, as we can obviously see by how full rest and rehab have not solved the problem. We can’t build a stable midfield around a player that can only be available 1 out of every 3-4 matches. You’ve got to play him or find another solution for consistency. To me it’s better to find this out early in the season and work it out and hopefully get him back for a boost later in… Read more »
GUTE BESSERUNG SANTI
I’m not a massive fan in general, in fact I’m quite often groaning when he plays (but I put it down to lack of confidence), but I think it could be worth giving The Ox a crack in centre mid. Any of the other pairings are pretty similar in terms of physical capabilities, same pace, height etc. But the Ox has got the closest thing to Santi’s explosiveness and dribbling ability, decent passing range as well. When games are as tight as they are now days in the premier league, if you’ve got a player who can beat a man… Read more »
The thought of having the Ox receiving the ball in front of just the back 4 under pressure sends shivers down my spine
Did it do that vs Ac Milan?
Ox could be an option there but I’d prefer Ramsey. TBH Elneny-Xhaka did ok against Bournemouth, wouldn’t mind them getting another outing. I’d prefer Ramsey to Elneny in terms of goal scoring and creativity, but Elneny is a safer pair of hands
Ramsey is not especially creative.
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Can we go for Payet in January?
Yes, if you can help convince Wenger to sell Ramsey.
I hope those thumbs downs are from the Hammers fans.
Worst News Post Trump.