Why Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Gonzalo Higuain Would Work Well at Arsenal

Arsenal are edging ever closer to a deal for Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain, according to The London Evening Standard. The prolific forward will form a potent attacking trio with Gunners midfield schemers Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere.

Collectively they will give manager Arsene Wenger the creative three he needs to make his fluid brand of football work. Wenger's best Arsenal teams have all featured dynamic attacking trios.

His double-winners of 1997-98, were driven by the efforts of Dutch playmakers Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp. Nicolas Anelka was the fleet-footed striker who complemented the pace of Overmars and was the target for Bergkamp's many intelligent through passes.

When Wenger captured his second double in 2001-02, the dynamic was the same, but two of the trio had changed. Bergkamp was still the key creative cog, but Overmars had been replaced by Robert Pires.

 

Henry, Bergkamp and Pires inspired Arsenal to their greatest successes.

The stylish left-sided midfielder combined flair and ingenuity with a natural industry. Arsenal produced their best football under Wenger when Pires and Bergkamp combined to orchestrate play.

Anelka was replaced by an equally speedy, but more powerful and creative main striker, Thierry Henry. This triumvate formed the foundation of the team that won two league titles and three FA Cups in four seasons.

Even during the last eight barren years, Wenger has attempted to maintain his reliance on these triangles. The 2007-08 squad, probably the best of the Emirates Stadium years, was successful thanks to the combined efforts of Cesc Fabregas and Aleksandr Hleb.

Their artistry in midfield was supported by the power of Emmanuel Adebayor in attack. In 2010-11, Arsenal should have captured the English Premier League title.
That would have been just reward for the expansive football created by Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie.

Fabregas, Nasri and van Persie formed Wenger's last great attacking trio.

Signing Higuain and combining his skills with those of Wilshere and Cazorla, can give Wenger the same attack-minded trio to direct his imaginative and expressive style of football.

Combining Wilshere and Cazorla in advanced midfield areas is vital for the success of this Arsenal team. Cazorla is a master playmaker, but he too often lacked sufficient support last season.

When opponents enveloped the Spanish ace, Arsenal's forward play became stunted and predictable. Wilshere can provide the extra elements of thrust and invention, to complement Cazorla.

This is a critical season in Wilshere's development. Wenger attempted to make him his advanced central schemer during the last campaign.

It is a bold but necessary gamble. Wilshere is naturally a quick, pass-and-move midfielder. His game is based on technique and instinct for the movements of those around him.
At times, he has lived up to his billing as a No.10. He was outstanding against Swansea City in the FA Cup. Wilshere demonstrated ideas, resilience and guile, to go with a scoring touch, in his best performance of the season.

But there were other times when the England youngster wilted under the pressure of being the successor to Fabregas. In the 2-1 North London derby defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Wilshere could not provide the creative flourish Arsenal desperately needed.

He was occasionally negative with his passing. When he did attempt to split the defence and probe for openings, Wilshere's execution was poor.
The 21-year-old can still be the maestro Wenger needs in central areas. What will help him take that final step is to be surrounded by players on a similar wavelength.

Playing alongside Cazorla and Higuain will make Wilshere better.

Cazorla boasts the technical quality to respond to Wilshere's movements and maintain the flow of play with the same assured, intelligent passing.

That is why playing Cazorla on the left and Wilshere as a central attacking midfielder can work wonders for Arsenal. It gives them a dual-creative threat that Higuain would make even better.

One of the main principles of Wenger's 4-2-3-1 formation is the need for a creative central striker as its focal point. It is why van Persie was such a perfect fit.

Wenger needs more than just a goalscorer. He needs a forward fulcrum who will contribute to the overall flow and symmetry of his team's passing and creativity.

Higuain has those skills. He will drop off from the front and join in passing moves, without looking out of place or behind technically.

He has the skill and touch to be a provider as well as a predator. The video below shows plenty of fine examples. The best is his assist against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, at the 1:51 mark.