Wenger: Cazorla should have been in team of the year

Arsene Wenger believes Santi Cazorla deserved to be included in this season’s PFA Team of the Year.



Cazorla’s debut season with the Gunners has seen the Spaniard feature in every Premier League game, netting 12 times with seven assists, but he was overlooked for the Team of the Year.



Wenger was surprised the Spanish playmaker did not feature as he feels he fully deserved to be included.



“I am sure he must have been very close to be in there. In my opinion he deserved to be there based on the consistency and quality of his performances,” Wenger told Arsenal Player.



“And then there are the number of chances and assists he created. I think he deserved to be in there.”



Wenger has been impressed with Cazorla since his arrival from Malaga last summer but admits he has been amazed at his stamina during the season.



“I’ll tell you something – if you count the number of training sessions he has missed it will be similar to that [the games he has missed],” he said.



“I can’t remember the number of sessions where he had an injury. His consistency has been remarkable for the games and the training sessions. And one might explain the other one.



“I was not aware of it [Cazorla's stamina before he signed],” added Wenger. “I did check the number of games he played but I was not aware that he would have such stamina in the Premier League.



“I expected him to miss more games because the league is very tough physically. The duels are tough. It shows he has a remarkable body but it shows he is intelligent as well because he knows where to go [on the pitch].”

Cazorla delighted with Arsenal

Santi Cazorla is delighted with how the first seven months of his Arsenal career have gone.



The Spanish international midfielder joined the Gunners from Malaga last summer, and he has enjoyed an excellent maiden campaign in England.



"I think I've had a positive seven months personally as I have been able to come to a team like Arsenal and play in a great league like the Premier League," Cazorla told www.arsenal.com.



"It is a bit different to La Liga in Spain but I've adapted very well and I think Arsenal's style of play has made it a lot easier for me."



He admits that things have not gone completely to plan when it comes to Arsenal's results this term.



"On the pitch, we have definitely had our ups and downs, there have been good times and bad times," he said.



"I think that the team has lacked a bit of consistency and sometimes we have made mistakes that have cost us dearly. Removing these from our game will help us improve in the future.



"But it hasn't been difficult adapting to Arsenal's style of play or even to the Premier League. It is a bit different to La Liga in Spain but I've adapted very well and I think Arsenal's style of play has made it a lot easier for me.



"I was expecting to come into a league that would be a bit more physical, a bit quicker, and had a greater intensity than what I was used to. I was prepared for that, especially the physical side, so I don't think it was hard for me to adapt."



Cazorla feels that, at 28, he had to make the move in the summer, saying: "That was the leap I wanted to make.



"I wanted to go to a big club and an historic club like Arsenal. I'm happy here. The club's influence is enormous and it's incredible that it has so many fans around the world because that means it really is a massive club.



"Generally, I'm happy with everything here because the club treats its players so well."

Cazorla: 'English football is more exciting'

Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has claimed that English football is more exciting than in Spain.

The 28-year-old has impressed in the Premier League since his summer move from Malaga, and thinks the style here suits him.



Cazorla also praised the atmosphere that English fans can generate.



"Compared to Spain, the football here is less tactical, but more fun to watch and play," he told the Daily Mail.



"There's too much technique in Spain and they are held back by it. This makes the match boring, there's a better pace in England.



"There's also more space, especially for players like me, and more time to think. Teams always want to attack and score goals in England. In Spain they are locked down by tactics. And the atmosphere here is just amazing."



Cazorla currently has 11 goals in the Premier League this season.

Cazorla Reveals Barcelona Inspiration

Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla says he tries to model his game on Barcelona schemer Andres Iniesta.



The Spanish midfielder has set the Premier League alight since his summer switch from Malaga, playing an integral part in Arsenal's impressive start to the season.



And Cazorla says he owes his success down to how he models his game around his international colleague Iniesta.



"Iniesta is the standard against which I measure myself," Cazorla admitted. "Playing by his side is something else. He's a total footballer in every sense.



"Every day with him is something to treasure and learn from. I try to copy the things he does, but it's very difficult. The problem is that when he does them he makes them look easy, but then you try it and you get all tangled up. Andrés is a role model on and off the pitch."



The 27 year old's impact for Arsenal has been such that many already consider him among the signings of the summer, and his early success in north London was capped with his first goal in the win over West Ham United.



Cazorla's performances have evoked memories of Cesc Fabregas' influence in midfield during his days at The Emirates Stadium, with the former Villarreal midfielder supplying the bullets for the likes of Lukas Podolski and Gervinho.



"I've adapted to my new team really well," Cazorla added.



"The change hasn't been as drastic as you might think. The football is quicker and more intense, but I wasn't shocked by that. Plus I've joined a team, Arsenal, whose playing style is very similar to the one at Málaga."



Meanwhile, Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone has against quashed rumours of a move away from The Gunners.



Despite stepping in ably for the injured Wojciech Szczesny for much of the campaign, Mannone has been linked with a move to his homeland on a regular basis.



But the 24 year old said: "I want to make it clear, because there have been unfounded rumours, that my contract is not ending in 12 months.



"I've got a few more years and I'm happy to be at Arsenal right now. I'm looking at the present and my future is not in doubt.



"I want to stay at Arsenal as long as I can, I don't want to move to any other club."

Cazorla: I can still improve

Santi Cazorla feels Arsenal have not seen the best of him yet.



The Spain midfielder has impressed since his £15million summer move from Malaga, and cracked in a superb 25-yard goal in the 3-1 win at West Ham.



Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believes the 27-year-old helps inspire the side with his cavalier style. Cazorla is happy with the way he has adapted so quickly, and hopes he will continue to enjoy life at Emirates Stadium.



Speaking at a press conference ahead of Spain's World Cup qualifier away to Belarus, the midfielder said: "I have adapted well and my position within the Arsenal team gives me freedom.



"Maybe in the few months I have been there people have been talking a lot more about me.



"I feel important at Arsenal and I want to keep developing.I hope to continue to grow and improve in the future."

Wenger: Cazorla played key role in Gunners bright start

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes in-form summer signing Santi Cazorla is bringing the best out of his side.

Cazorla has played a key role in the Gunners' bright start to the season and was influential to their 3-1 victory at West Ham on Saturday evening.



The industrious Spaniard, who arrived from Malaga in August, crowned an impressive display when he cracked in a superb 25-yard left-foot effort to wrap up the 3-1 win with seven minutes left.



Wenger believes Cazorla makes the rest of his side work harder and admits the player is so good it is difficult to tell which is his stronger foot.



"Cazorla makes everybody a better player," said the French boss.



"When you see these kind of players don't play for Spain [regularly], it just goes to show how good they are.



"He is right footed, but when you watch him play you don't know.



"Glenn Hoddle was like that, left-footed, right-footed, you could not say what he was, Cazorla is on that front similar.



"I don't remember anyone else I have worked with who was as much two-footed as that."

Cazorla enjoying free role

Arsenal's Santi Cazorla says the free role he has been granted is the reason for his impressive start in the English Premier League.



The 19 million-euro signing from Malaga has helped Arsenal avoid defeat in their first three league games and proved instrumental in the 2-0 win over Liverpool, scoring and providing an assist at Anfield.



The Spaniard acknowledged there is pressure to live up to his hefty price tag, but said he is enjoying a licence to roam given to him by manager Arsene Wenger.



In an interview with El Pais, he said: "They have paid an important amount of money for me and the role they've given me is the one I like.



"I love the style of the team. Wenger's philosophy is to control the game and I like to be on the ball. Furthermore, the boss has put me in a position, second striker, with all the freedom I want to have.



"He told me to be at ease and that he'd play me where I could most help the team. It surprised me in pre-season when he put me as the second striker.



"I've come to play on the wings with the freedom to move inside, but Wenger has immediately put me in this position. With (Mikel) Arteta, (Abou) Diaby, (Tomas) Rosicky and (Jack) Wilshere, who is recovering from injury, we're going to have a lot of the ball."



Cazorla went on to hail compatriot Arteta for helping him adapt to the English style of play so quickly.



"Arteta has advised me a lot, he told me football is much faster and less tactical than Spain. It's more give and go.



"Mikel has helped me to learn to see the game and said that if we play rapidly with the ball we're going to create a lot of danger and we'll beat most teams.



"Wenger wants him (Arteta) now as a defensive pivot and he's doing it very well. He gives real balance and he can win the ball back and play it out because with the ball he's spectacular."