Arsenal legend and Belgium coach Thierry Henry has claimed that the injury that has kept Gunners' playmaker Santi Cazorlaon the sidelines has had a negative impact on the form ofMesut Ozil.
As part of his punditry position on Sky Sports, as reported by theDaily Star, Henry has stated that the absence of the Spaniard due to an achilles injury has hampered the form of the former Real Madrid man.
How vital is Santi to Arsenal? Cazorla's return to fitness can't come soon enough for the Gunners ï‘€ #AFC pic.twitter.com/SSrF8fwmTN
When asked how much Arsene Wenger's side miss diminutive schemer Cazorla, Henry replied, "A lot. There's always that debate over whether the Coquelin-Santi [midfield] partnership is good enough to win the league.
"But what it does when Santi is not playing, Mesut starts to come too deep to get the ball and you know [there's] not that that first guy that can pass the ball in between the lines, so it is different when Santi is not around," Henry continued.
Cazorla's last Gunners appearance was the 6-0 Champions League thrashing of Ludogorets in October, and it is unknown exactly when the 31-year-old will make his return to the first-team fold.
Since playing a starring role as Arsenal destroyed Chelsea in October, Ozil has only one goal and two assists in his last seven Premier League appearances, andalthough he did score a majestic winner in the return Champions League fixture with Ludogorets, there is little doubt that Ozil's form has waned in recent weeks.
Ozil performs well in 1 out of every 5 games, he's still celebrating his goal against ludogorets till now. Goes missing most of the time. https://t.co/3d1BwzoU3j
Arsenal fans will hope that the return of Cazorla will spark an upturn in the German's fortunes, while other observers feel that Ozil's slump is further evident that he can only have an impact in more straight-forward matches, where there is less pressure on the Gunners.
Ozil has failed to have an impact in recent crunch matches against Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain, both of which the Gunners were lucky to draw.
The playmaker's lack of impact must be a cause of concern for Gunners' fans, who are desperate for their side to avoid their now traditional slump in form throughout November.