Santi Cazorla has reflected today of the equality he sees in Spain’s squad, before also talking of his time settling into English football.
The former Villarreal man is named in the latest Seleccion by Vicente del Bosque to face Belarus and France in the coming fortnight.
Following on from his head Coach’s explanations as to the squad that saw Gerard Pique and Juan Mata surprisingly left out, the playmaker enthused on the competition for places and the structure under Del Bosque that allows for that to thrive.
“Everyone in the Spanish team is equal – it doesn’t matter which club you play for,” the new Arsenal man told The Daily Telegraph today.
“That’s why the team are so successful. To win you have to have a dressing room where everyone is pointing in the same direction, where there are no big egos, no individuals. There is real humility in the Spanish dressing room.
“I’ve always said it is an honour to be called up for the national squad. It’s not easy nowadays – to play is even more of an honour. There are great players in every position – [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi [Hernandez], [Gerard] Pique, [Carles] Puyol. This depth of quality is extraordinary for one country so I try to enjoy every minute I’m on the pitch.
“I’ve reached 48 appearances so far. That’s a pretty good figure nowadays. I learnt a lot from the other Spanish players, especially players like Iniesta and Xavi. They are an example not just for me but for players around the world.”
Cazorla stands at 5ft6, but recognises that it is no longer a relevant attribute.
“Years ago, size was seen ahead of attributes like technical ability and skill. Now your ability is not measured by your size.
“There’s been a change now, players like [Lionel] Messi and Iniesta show that small players are good enough.”
The 27-year-old left Malaga this summer for North London and reflected on why he made the move abroad and how it has been so far.
“I spoke with David Silva before I came here. He’s won the Premier League now with Manchester City and he said I’d enjoy everything about the Premier League, the respect with the players which is different to Spain. He gave me an introduction to the adventure of English football.
“Everyone knows about Arsenal. Arsenal have a history that is not new to me, so I knew how to integrate quickly. They are a massive club. I also had old teammates like Robert Pires at Villarreal, who talked to me about Arsenal which made a big impression on me.
“When the interest began with Arsenal, Robert told me not to think twice. He said Arsenal was the perfect club for me, that Arsenal has aspirations to win the title. Everything so far has been true and I’m very happy here. I feel very much at home. It helps having Mikel Arteta here. He’s supported me a lot.
“We don’t do initiations in Spain. In Spain you’d sit around at dinner, make a speech, ‘it’s wonderful to be here’ and so on, but in England you sing a song! We were on pre-season in Germany. I had to sit in a chair and, one by one, me, Podolski and Giroud sang a song of our choice. I sang the ‘Macarena’, of course, but I was very embarrassed!
“There’s a great respect here inside and outside of the dressing room. The club is a very special one and there’s been great footballers here over the years and there continues to be so. You see them inside the dressing room every day and that’s the foundation for our strong spirit.”
