Injuries - Arsenal's bane this season

Nacho Monreal being carried off in the game against Wigan Athletic

The Gunners have been the most injury plagued team in the English Premier League this season, and it has been a major factor in their doubtful performances this season. The season started on a good note for the Gunners, but elimination from the Champions League and dismal performances in the recent league matches have left them struggling at 5^th in the EPL table. The only beacon of hope in this season is the FA Cup final against Hull City, which can be their golden opportunity to end the nine year title drought and finish the season respectably.

The injury issue has been a constant factor in the Gunners’ dismal performances on the field in the big games as they have been missed major players throughout the season. The beginning of the 2013-14 season was marked by the thigh injury to Mikel Arteta which ruled him out for 5 weeks and also the back injury to Spanish defender Nacho Monreal.

Shortly after that, major team members Lukas Podolski (hamstring strain) and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (knee ligaments) suffered injuries in the month of August which ruled them out for almost three months.

The list of long term injuries that Arsenal have suffered this season goes on and on and they can be summed up as: Yaya Sanogo (back injury, from September 9 to February 11, five months), Thomas Vermaelen twice (two months and one month, back and calf injuries respectively), Santi Cazorla (ankle, five weeks out between September and October) and Aaron Ramsey (thigh, out from December 26 to April 5, more than three months) and Jack Wilshere (March 6- till date, harilinel fracture in foot).

There have also been quite a few mid term injuries among the Arsenal players which ruled them out for around one to three weeks: Kieran Gibbs four times, Nacho Monreal (foot, three weeks out between February and March), Bacary Sagna (twice, both hamstring, in October and December), Nicklas Bendtner twice, Tomas Rosicky (three times, thigh and knock twice), Laurent Koscielny (knee, two weeks out in December) and the list goes on.

These statistics clearly show the injury dynamics in the current Gunners squad and despite the fact that Arsenal plays so many competitions at a time, the number of injured players still remain considerably higher than the other competing teams. It is extremely difficult for any team to fight for prestigious titles like UEFA Champions League and English Premier League with a depleted squad, which occurs due to the injuries.

The constant injuries in the squad refrained Arsene Wenger from naming a consistent line up, and it is an important part of any team’s title pursuit. The constant changes affect the mentality of the team and also the bonding between the players which ultimately hampers the performance of the team as a single unit. This has been the problem for the Gunners as they had very little time to settle down as a team and the lack of coordination was quite clear in some of their matches.

Arsene Wenger has been quite vocal about the problem and he has expressed his concern over the growing injury issue of the squad. “Our main task [next summer] will be to keep the team together and think where did we go wrong. There are a lot of positives in our season as well, but we have dropped off when we lost our players at an important moment of the season. That is what we don’t want to repeat.”

The Arsenal squad needs to focus on the present and the foremost aim for the team will be to beat Hull in the FA Cup Final and also to achieve the top four finishes in the Premier League. But it is really important for the club and also for the medical team to contemplate on how they can avoid the injuries suffered by key players in the middle of the season. Or else, it can be very difficult for the team to achieve significant glory at the national or international stage.