Should Santi Cazorla Start Ahead of Mesut Ozil for Arsenal?

Arsenal’s transfer activity this summer has vastly improved their attacking options. Last season, injuries and botched signings meant the club were enormously reliant on a small core of players to break down the opposition.

In 2014/15, it’s all change. Although Arsenal remain worryingly short of depth at the back, they now have a wealth of options up top. Arsene Wenger has supplemented his retinue of forwards with Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and the returning Joel Campbell. The fitness of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott, all absent for long spells to last season, improves Wenger’s hand even further.

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Increasing Arsenal’s firepower could have consequences for Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla.  As Wenger tries to find a way to accommodate his array of attackers, he may have to sacrifice one of his creative midfielders. 

Last season, Wenger was able to fit in both by playing Cazorla on the left and Ozil in the centre. This term, he has kept the personnel but reversed the positions. Wenger’s decision to move Ozil to the left is intriguing in itself. Perhaps it’s inspired by Ozil’s deployment with his successful national side this summer. Alternatively, it could merely be a way of helping the German ease back into competitive action after his post-Brazil lay-off.  

Either way, there won’t be room for Ozil or Cazorla there much longer. When Walcott returns, it’s widely anticipated he will take up his customary spot on the right flank. If Danny Welbeck hits the ground running, he could make the central striking spot his own.

That will mean having to squeeze in £35 million man Alexis Sanchez on the left flank. The Chilean demonstrated at Leicester that he can provide a significant threat by cutting in on to his preferred right foot from that side. Wenger also has to cater to the likes of Lukas Podolski, Joel Campbell, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yaya Sanogo. When Olivier Giroud returns from injury in December, competition will get even stiffer.

That will mean Arsenal having to push Cazorla and Ozil back into the midfield. With Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta all but certain to occupy the deeper roles, the two playmakers will be in direct competition for one No. 10 spot. 

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As the club’s record signing, Ozil would seem the obvious choice. However, there is a case that Cazorla currently deserves to start ahead of the German. The Spanish international has started the season brightly and was one of the team’s outstanding players in August’s victory over Besiktas at the Emirates Stadium. He has already contributed some magical moments, including a beautiful clipped pass over the top to create Sanchez’s first Premier League goal at Leicester. 

Ozil, meanwhile, has had a slow start. After a year of acclimitisation to the Premier League, Arsenal supporters hoped they’d see him start the season like the proverbial house on fire. Conversely, he’s yet to produce much of a spark in 2014/15.

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In time, Ozil might hit his stride and make the position his own, but at present there’s certainly a case for giving Cazorla the nod. He definitely gets through more defensive work than the German, which given Arsenal’s newfound attacking emphasis might make him a more sensible inclusion.  If you're fielding three strikers, the midfield need to pull their weight. Despite his small stature, Cazorla does not mind scurrying back to hassle the opposition when required. 

It’s a conundrum for Arsene Wenger. Given his new flexibility up top, he may face difficult choices about what constitutes his best XI. It’s possible that, in the short term at least, Arsenal’s record signing could find himself on the substitutes bench.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2014/15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.