Arsenal players sure do get injured a lot.
A recent study by physioroom.com indicates that Arsenal players have sustained 889 injuries since 2002, which is about 14 percent more than any other Premier League team (Manchester United is next with 792 injuries in that span).
An ESPN investigation into Arsenal’s rash of injuries came up with several possibilities for the cause, including manager Arsene Wenger overtraining the players and the club’s medical staff rushing players back to service after they get injured.
The most common injury in the report was to the hamstring, and that is a typical overtraining injury.
It’s possible Arsene Wenger, though a great coach, is at a disadvantage because of his unwillingness to adopt modern training methods, many of which are designed to cut down on injuries.
Arsenal currently have eight first-teamers out due to injury: Theo Walcott (ACL), Mikel Arteta (calf/shin), Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Yaya Sanogo (hamstring), Nacho Monreal (back), Mathieu Debuchy (ankle/foot), Olivier Giroud (ankle/foot) and Serge Gnabry (knee).
Wolcott leads the team with 42 injuries in the time of the study, with Abou Diaby a close second with 40.
Ivan, who sits next to me at The18’s world headquarters, after learning of the report, said “I believe that. I’m an Arsenal fan.”
