• Premier League

Bad luck? An inside look at Arsenal's injury crisis

Ahead of his 18th anniversary as Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger made one big admission about an issue that has plagued so much of that spell.

The 64-year-old stated that he still does not know why the club endure so many injuries. That is despite an ongoing root-and-branch investigation and reform of their entire approach to physical conditioning.

During the media conference, Wenger was asked about his "shock" that Aaron Ramsey had suffered another hamstring problem on the eve of the Champions League tie against Galatasaray. The only surprise was his surprise. Arsenal face yet another big game with another big list of sidelined players. Right now, nine are out. It is damning, and so damaging to their chances in both Europe and the league.

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Arsene Wenger has transformed Arsenal © Getty Images

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"We made a lot of changes [to the fitness regime], yes," the manager said. "We have not found out why it [Ramsey's latest injury] happened."

When asked what those changes were, Wenger paused and exhaled before stating it would require a "long" answer.

The most staggering thing is that this problem has been recurring for such a long time. The following is a Wenger quote from December 2009. It is troubling just how much it describes the current situation. "We pick up more injuries than the other big teams, that is true," he said. "You cannot say there is not a reason for it, but we have not yet found it. It's the worst season for injuries for us."

Not quite. It has remained one of Arsenal's worst problems for so many seasons since. According to PhysioRoom.com, Arsenal have suffered 745 injuries since the 2004-05 season (and a total of 889 since the website's records began in 2002), which is 14 percent more than any other club in the Premier League. To put that in more tangible terms, Wenger must deal with almost 75 injuries a year, on average. The next closest in the Premier League is 64.

Arsenal spokespersons dispute the nature of those stats, fairly indicating that no independent study could have the same in-depth knowledge they do. The club also point to the amount of impact injuries - those from tackles - that do add more complexity to the figures. The effect is nevertheless still clear.

Arsenal regularly face crunch games with a crippling amount of absences. This week, the list reads: Olivier Giroud, Mathieu Debuchy, Theo Walcott, Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Serge Gnabry, Yaya Sanogo and - although he has been named to the squad midweek and is likely to be fit for the trip to Chelsea on Sunday - Jack Wilshere.

Many of the first-team players feel that a lot of this is just "bad luck," according to sources. That is something Wenger has himself regularly mentioned, too.

The sheer numbers indicate it must be down to much more, however, not to mention the fact it is an issue they are so deeply looking into. While Arsenal are playing it down, sources state it is a subject of deep and intense discussion behind the scenes.

There's also the way so many players suffer the same types of injuries, not least with soft tissues such as hamstrings.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has recently been put forward as a potential successor to Wenger, and is also rare as a coach with a degree in physiotherapy. He is known to be obsessive about prevention of such injuries. "I always believe every injury can be avoided," Martinez said in 2012. "I don't believe in soft-tissue injuries. If you get a soft-tissue injury in football, a mistake has been made."

Arsene Wenger is currently dealing with nine injuries © Getty Images

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The key for Arsenal is finding where those mistakes lie.

One problem with such a question is that the very processes of so many injuries are so fluid and come with so many factors. Much can influence one strain, from the number of recent games played, to the angle of contact.

That makes discussion of the issue hugely complicated, and dependent on a certain amount of conjecture. From talking to those around the club, a series of different theories are put forward. One former player is privately much more critical of the Arsenal approaches than many of his old team-mates. He has told representatives that the injury prevention programme was simply not up to the standard of his national team. He also maintained that was not an isolated opinion among the squad.

Another potential issue put forward focused on the recovery period after injuries. One source stated that returning players are moved from working with the physio to working with the fitness coach rather quickly. This is notable because of the different type of work involved.

Representatives of some squad members have also privately complained that there is a "hastiness" in putting recovering players back in the match squad, partially because the squad is often stretched, so the problem may even perpetuate itself.

Many of the theories actually revolve around another recurring theme: whether the manager has stayed as close to the modern trends of the game as he might have.

Former Arsenal player Stewart Robson has been a regular critic of Wenger, and last year alluded to a regular complaint in football science circles. "I met one of the members of Arsenal's sports science department and he said he told Arsene Wenger on many occasions that 'you are working the players too hard' and Wenger took no notice," Robson told ESPN. On the other side, some sources have stated Wenger prefers his players to train with the ball as much as possible, and isn't so interested in weights and strength work as others might be.

Dutch physio Raymond Verheijen has been the most vocal critic of Arsenal's conditioning, and has boiled it down most brutally. "When Arsene Wenger came to Britain in the mid-'90s his training methods were revolutionary," Verheijen said. "But the problem with revolutionary people is that they're only revolutionary once in their life, so 20 years on they become average. And then they become prehistoric."

Out of all of this debate and so many alternate views, one thing is at least certain. Wenger is well aware there is a problem that must be fixed, and has at least taken the initial steps in bringing Arsenal up to speed.

American fitness specialist Shad Forsythe was recruited from the German World Cup-winning squad in July 2014 and sources said the manager has been "excited" about his arrival. Millions have also been spent on the sports science department.

That does not mean any change will be instant. The club are continuing to investigate, and will then likely have to adjust to any new approaches after that. This will be a long-term process. So far, the changes have been small. Arsenal are tweaking the workload on players in the build-up to games, and subs are now warming up right through matches, rather than just before they come on.

Wenger will hope all of this gradually builds up to a big transformation, and a radical reduction in the rate of injuries. Arsenal need it.

Anything else would add insult to injuries.

This article originally appeared on ESPN FC

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