Arsene Wenger reveals WHY Santi Cazorla was hauled off at half-time
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Arsene Wenger reveals WHY Santi Cazorla was hauled off at half-time

Wayne Veysey
Wayne Veysey

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By Arsenal correspondent Tony Hughes

Santi Cazorla was hauled off at half-time of the north London derby because he was suffering from dizziness. Arsene Wenger revealed after the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Tottenham that the midfielder was not well enough to continue in the second half. Cazorla, who has started all 12 of the Gunners' Premier League matches this season, was replaced by Mathieu Flamini at the interval after the hosts were totally outplayed by the visitors during the opening period. "Cazorla in the first half was not himself, he was not at the races" explained Wenger afterwards. "I took him off at half-time because he was dizzy. So we suffered in the first half in the middle of the park.

"Cazorla was at 30 per cent of his potential. So many times I was sitting there wondering 'do I take him off?'"

Wenger also admits that Arsenal's lengthy casualty list has caught up with them in a week in which they were also thrashed 5-1 by Bayern Munich.

"We have too many players out and restricted options on the bench," said the manager. "That makes the game difficult.

Red alert: Theo Walcott is one of 10 players who are sidelined through injury
Red alert: Theo Walcott is one of 10 players who are sidelined through injury

"In the end I must give credit to my players because they refused to lose the game. We played against a good Tottenham side but we still managed to get a point. I believe 1-1 is a fair result for both teams.

"We gain two weeks treatment for the 10 players who are not available at the moment. I hope after these two weeks that we do not lose more and get some back."

Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur
Arsene Wenger
Santi Cazorla
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