• Premier League

Wenger wants injury answers

ESPN staff
March 14, 2014
Ozil out for a 'few weeks'

Arsene Wenger is waiting on the results of a club investigation into why his Arsenal team have suffered so many injuries.

The manager is alarmed at his team's fitness problems as they head towards the season's climax and admitted the club are analysing possible explanations "very deeply".

Wenger keeps his focus

  • Arsene Wenger insists he is fully committed to managing Arsenal as he approaches his 1,000th game in charge of the club.
  • The Frenchman has been linked with a potential vacancy at Barcelona at the end of the season and is yet to sign a new deal at Emirates Stadium.
  • Wenger would become a free agent in the summer and the club reportedly fear they will not be able to announce his new contract at his 1,000th game, which comes against Chelsea on March 22.
  • But the manager said: "My commitment is always fully here and nowhere else."
  • On his forthcoming managerial landmark, he added: "I never would envisage that. We are in a job like you go for the next game, and try to do well in that next game. The step by step, sometimes you get to 1,000."

Wenger's side will have to face bitter rivals Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday without Jack Wilshere (foot), Theo Walcott (knee), Aaron Ramey (thigh) and Mesut Ozil, who has just been ruled out for between three to six weeks with a hamstring injury.

"I am concerned that that happens," Wenger said. "If you look at our overall injury list going into such a final decisive part of the season, we have no Wilshere, Walcott, Ozil, Ramsey.

"We went to Bayern with no [Kieran] Gibbs or [Nacho] Monreal. Of course it is a concern. We are analysing very deeply why it happened to see if there is a link between these injuries."

Arsenal's training methods have come in for criticism in the past but Wenger is confident the cruciate ligament injury suffered by Walcott, at least, was unrelated to the rest.

However, Ozil's injury may have been partially self-inflicted, with Wenger admitting the club had detected he had a problem before they took him off.

"Walcott, it is completely bad luck," Wenger said. "Wilshere I don't think it is linked with the other injuries, it is linked more with his history and the kick he got. The rest maybe we have to find out why it happened."

Monreal (foot) is "definitely available" this Sunday, but Wenger says he is "not sure" about Gibbs (calf).

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
ESPN staff Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices