It’s almost certain that Santi Cazorla will be part of Vicente Del Bosque's final 23-man squad in Brazil, but what role he will play remains to be seen. The Arsenal playmaker has been a fixture in the national squad for years now, and played his part in the Euro 2008 victory that started the spell of Spanish dominance.
Cazorla has been rather unlucky to be part of a squad blessed with such a pool of talent and has often had to play second fiddle to the likes of David Silva, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas. With doubts over Silva's fitness and with the latter two suffering disappointing seasons by their high standards, the former Malaga player must be pushing for a spot in the starting XI.
The attacking midfielder is coming into form at the right time for La Roja. With the arrival of Mesut Ozil at Arsenal, Cazorla perhaps took less of the limelight but remained a vital part of Arsenal's early success.
His season was halted by an injury that kept him out for five weeks, which may work in his favour as he could be fresher come the summer than some of his teammates. Since his return he has continued to unlock defences and chip in with goals, albeit not as many as he would like – only six this season and none since late January.
The 29-year-old fits Spain's style of play perfectly, another member of the squad that is small in stature but oozes quality on the ball. Cazorla can play anywhere across the attacking front three and that versatility works in his favour.
Spain often have an attacking three that interchange during games – the likes of Andres Iniesta, Fabregas, Silva, Pedro and Jesus Navas tend to pop up all over the place in matches and this would be nothing new to Cazorla, who relishes having the licence to roam and get on the ball.
The arrival of Diego Costa to the squad could have an impact on Cazorla's starting chances, however. While the tiki-taka style of play will of course remain, the arrival of a physical striker may mean that more wing play may is preferred this summer. If that is to be the case Cazorla is likely to be overlooked again in favour of an out and out winger, such as Navas or Pedro.
Should Del Bosque stick with the narrow style of play though, an in form Cazorla may well be the perfect option to unlock defences.
Cazorla will certainly travel to the World Cup and his chances of a starting spot may depend on the fitness of Silva. The Manchester City man is likely to be preferred if he is fully fit but if not, it could be Cazorla’s last chance to shine in the national team.
