ARSENE WENGER says Santi Cazorla’s cavalier style has earned him the respect of his Arsenal team-mates.
The Spain midfielder has caught the eye with impressive displays in the first three Premier League games following his £16million summer move from Malaga.
Cazorla netted his first Arsenal goal in the 2-0 win at Liverpool as the Gunners headed into the international break unbeaten with three clean sheets.
The 27-year-old is again expected to be at the centre of the action when newly-promoted Southampton come to the Emirates Stadium tomorrow looking for their first points on their return to the top flight.
Wenger said: “Cazorla has gained the respect of everybody very quickly.
“Cazorla is humble, he loves the game and that is what you want from every football player.
“They talk on the pitch, don’t need to speak too much, just go on the pitch and show what you can do. That is what he does.
“He loves the game, loves to play with his partners and that is the best way to gain respect from everybody.”
German striker Lukas Podolski, signed from Cologne, also found the net at Anfield, producing a dynamic display on the left side of the attack.
And while fellow summer recruit Olivier Giroud has yet to break his Gunners duck, Wenger has been impressed by how the trio have settled into the English domestic game.
He said: “They are used to European football much more than the Premier League.
“The Premier League is a bit more special thanks to the rhythm of the games, the pace, the intensity of the commitment, intensity of every challenge.
“Sometimes it is difficult to adapt to that, but the way we play is a very continental style, so it gives them a good chance to adapt very quickly.
“Players like Cazorla have adapted in a speedy way, the game goes through them.
“Sometimes it is easy in the middle of the park, sometimes it is easy in the centre of the pitch to adapt because the game goes more through you.”
Theo Walcott is a doubt to face his former club because of a virus which saw him miss England’s World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley.
The Sun
