Cazorla’s Stinging Put‑Down: The Night Viviano Turned Up Reeking for Arsenal

Every dressing room has its stories, but this one will make Arsenal fans wince. Emiliano Viviano has lifted the lid on a chaotic morning in 2014 when he pitched up at Goodison Park after a night out, only to get a verbal volley from Santi Cazorla for smelling of booze.

The confession that stunned Gooners

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Viviano recalled the late-season trip to Everton in 2013/14, when Arsenal were beaten 3-0. He hadn’t expected to be involved, went out on the tiles, then at around 2am was told Lukasz Fabianski was ill and he’d be needed on standby. A dawn shower, a dash to Merseyside, and then the cold reality: Cazorla clocked the fumes and told him, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t on. The Italian admits he was on the brink of a panic attack and feared that being thrust onto the pitch could have torpedoed his career.

Wenger’s silk, Goodison’s sting

It was a jarring subplot to a side renowned for slick football under Arsène Wenger, with Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Mesut Özil knitting together those quick, clever patterns. Mikel Arteta, the vice-captain back then, marshalled standards in a squad that prided itself on style—and usually, professionalism. But Goodison was a grim afternoon, and this tale only deepens the sense of how off-colour the day became.

Viviano’s brief, barren Arsenal stint

Signed on a season-long loan from Palermo in 2013, Viviano was stuck behind Wojciech Szczęsny and the recovering Fabianski. He never made a competitive appearance for the club and later rebuilt his rhythm back in Italy with Fiorentina. To rub salt in, when Arsenal lifted what was then a record-extending 11th FA Cup that May, he was ineligible for a winner’s medal.

Pundit’s view: culture then, culture now

Look, keepers are human and late call-ups can blindside anyone—but there’s no dressing this up. If a teammate can smell the night before, you’ve crossed a line. Fair play to Cazorla for fronting it; that sort of dressing-room accountability matters. And you suspect that in today’s Arteta-era Arsenal, with the culture tightened to within an inch, a repeat would be unthinkable.

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The takeaway

Viviano’s honesty is bracing, the episode a reminder that elite football doesn’t forgive shortcuts. Arsenal’s class of 2013/14 could be a joy to watch, but this was one day when the off-field story was every bit as bruising as the on-pitch reality.