The 2016/17 season has so far had an eerily familiar air for Arsenal. A decent start was followed by a lacklustre end to the calendar year, with the Gunners now looking to rescue their season and push for a decent finish. A pretty standard year at the Emirates, then, all told.

Except, this season was supposed to be so different. With Arsene Wenger’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, and with no renewal yet in sight, the Arsenal fairytale was looking destined to take shape. Like a Hollywood blockbuster, Wenger was supposed to lead his side back to Premier League glory and ride off into the sunset - but at present, the film looks more like a repeat of Groundhog Day.

The Gunners are currently sitting in 4th place, with Liverpool breathing down their necks, and their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich is as good as over after being crushed in Munich.

All wasn’t lost though, with the always-influential Santi Cazorla expected to return for the second-half of the season. With confirmation that he is set to miss the rest of the season coming last week, though, could there now be no way back for Arsene Wenger?

On the surface, Cazorla doesn’t come across as the sort of player to really put his mark on games and dominate them - but for Arsenal, he has been absolutely vital in recent years. Though often utilised as a wide attacking midfielder or as a number 10, Wenger decided to play Cazorla deeper, and his decision has certainly been vindicated.

From that position, he is able to control and dictate games, with his majestic passing ability and tempo building play forming the cornerstone of Arsenal’s attacks. He is unique in the Arsenal midfield in that he is as technical as they come, but is solid enough to play as one of the deeper midfield two. Players like Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin all play a significant role and are important, but their qualities are far more useful when Arsenal don’t have the ball. Cazorla comes to the forefront when Arsenal are attacking, with their entire play often running through the Spaniard.

That doesn’t take away from the defensive aspect of his game either. He has learned to compensate for his slight frame and attacking nature, with his ability to read the game and break up play within an instant becoming vital for the Gunners at the back.

The reason why players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have been so influential in an Arsenal shirt is due, in large part, to the presence of Cazorla. He is able to pass and move, but he is also able to create space and move past players - allowing the players in front of him to get into more threatening positions.

Francis Coquelin brings so much to Arsenal’s first team, but he isn’t able to do half of what Cazorla can do going forward - and so it is no surprise that Ozil has struggled so much in his absence. The Spaniard has so often gone under the radar for the Gunners, and now they are suffering from his absence.

Many have tried and failed to fit into Cazorla’s place. Xhaka has looked poor, Ramsay has struggled, and whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been passable in the role lately - it is quite clear that he is a square peg in a round hole. That is a testament to just how influential Cazorla really is.

For Wenger, then, he may be going down a path from which he cannot return. An FA Cup trophy might not be enough to earn him a new contract, and so his lasting legacy could be one of failure, rather than success. If Cazorla were in the side, it could have been so different. Instead, though, Wenger is having to rebuild his side to cope with his loss, and the results are - unsurprisingly - simply not up to par.

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