After our season went from bad to worse last week when went out 1-5 on aggregate to the mighty Spanish giants Barcelona in the Champions League last Wednesday and followed it up with a loss to Watford in the FA cup quarter-final last Sunday.
The 2-0 away win over Everton on Saturday was very easing. Though it wasn’t a convincing performance from the Gunners, the win somehow reinstated our title charge. However, the fragile nature of our club’s players is still evident as eight players have been highlighted as injured in the official Arsenal website.
According to the AFC official website players like Aaron Ramsey, Petr Cech, Mathieu Flamini, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tomas Rosicky are all out due to injury.
Petr Cech, Arsenal’s only first team signing last summer has been phenomenal in goal this season. Santi Cazorla’s presence in midfield is clearly being missed and that is one of the main reasons for our recent slump in form. Aaron Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain have been important first team players and have made crucial contributions to the team when needed. All the fore-mentioned players are of great prominence in their title run-in and them returning at the soonest is the best for the team.
Speaking before the Premier League clash against Everton on March 18, Arsene Wenger said that we had lost French midfielder Mathieu Flamini with a hamstring injury, so he will be out for some time while also suggesting that Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey and Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech will definitely be back from injury after the international break.
Wenger also claimed that Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla has been a bit slower to cure and there is still uncertainty as to whether Cazorla or Wilshere will be straight after the international break. Regarding English midfielder Jack Wilshere, Wenger states that he was showing good signs of recovery now, but he is still not good enough to be back straight after the international break.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was injured in the UEFA CL first leg game against Barcelona and hasn’t returned since then. he will be out for at least six to eight weeks. However it seems there is no surgery is required as Arsenal had feared earlier before they saw the MRI. In the end on that front, they got some positive news.
Tomas Rosicky was injured in a fourth round FA cup tie against Burnley FC towards the end of January and the only thing we know js that it is a bad muscular injury that will keep him out for a long time. However the good news is that he will apparently not need any surgery as it is a partial rupture of his tendon but how long it takes, whether it is two months or three months. It was a real shock for the club and the player himself was the most shocked and they have to patient and hope that it is not his last game.
Adding to these players in the treatment room is Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil who has been the gunners’ best player this season. Ozil limped off as he was substituted by Kieran Gibbs on Saturday against Everton. Speaking after the win against Everton on March 19, Arsene Wenger said that German midfielder Mesut Ozil’s injury was an ankle problem, but it, fortunately, looked more of a kick than an ankle problem.
With so much pressure mounting on Arsenal after exits from the FA cup and the CL in the space of three days, we literally have to win all our remaining games to stand any chance of winning the Premier league title. And for that, our players remaining fit is the key. Let us hope that all our injured players return sooner than later and also that all our other players stay injury free for the remaining part of the season.
