As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
The principal barrier to the club’s most concerted title challenge since their post-Birmingham City collapse in 2007-08 lies behind the security gates of their London Colney training headquarters.
It is here that an inordinate number of senior players, year after year, spend far too much time rehabilitating from serious injury while the decimated first team struggles to cope with its lack of numbers.
The club’s Achilles heel is their injury prevention and rehabilitation record. Relying predominantly on methods that were ahead of their time when Wenger began his reign in 1996, but are now prehistoric in comparison to rival clubs with considerably less resources, Arsenal are lagging behind in this crucial area.
The new season is barely two months old and Arsenal have barely been able to call upon the services of Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky, not to mention long-term absentee Abou Diaby.
This is not down to ill-fortune, an excuse trotted out to hide any number of flaws. Lady luck evens itself out over time, and there is clearly an imbalance to the number of player injuries at Arsenal in recent seasons compared to, say, Chelsea or Manchester City, teams who play a comparable number of matches.
Nor should the finger be pointed at the medical staff, who are usually left to pick up the pieces following the mistakes of others. Or, indeed, the equipment and knowledge available to them. No expense has been spared in furnishing the training ground with state-of-the-art medical and sports science facilities.
The problem is that the players, under the guidance of long-serving fitness coach Tony Colbert, overtrain. This, in turn, makes them more susceptible to picking up injury.
Moreover, players returning from injury are often pushed too far, too soon and suffer major setbacks. Jack Wilshere was a perfect example of this in the final months of last season after experiencing severe pain in his ankles.
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Colbert’s methods are said to be broadly the same as when he joined the club in the late 1998. Yet the pace of the game, and the physical demands on the players, has increased beyond recognition.
Colbert has the full backing of Wenger, whose loyalty to his staff is absolute. Yet there is widespread evidence to demonstrate that the club’s conditioning methods are counter-productive and need updating. Is it a coincidence that Kieran Gibbs' improved health this season has coincided with him employing a personal trainer from outside the club?
Arsenal currently share top place in the Premier League injury table. Both the Gunners and Crystal Palace have six players currently sidelined. Southampton can take pride in being bottom of this table, with not a single first-teamer sidelined.
it seems that its not just tactics and preparation that has passed us by - the comment about Gibbs is notable.
That article is by no means the be all and end all.
Tony Colbert reduced hernias from six per season to none for six seasons when he joined.
Does anyone really believe Colbert is a dinosaur who has not added to his training knowledge?
The players are well known to train hard but for short periods of time.
Am not at all convinced they overtrain, if Gibbs has hired a personal trainer in his own time then it means he is doing more training not less!
I think our medical problems are mix of:
1.) Wenger switching to greater ratio of smaller lighter players from 2006 onwards, these players not being as resilient as other larger ones.
2.) Wenger overriding medical staff on some occasions and rushing players back from injury, notably Van Persie, Cesc and Wilshere.
This being because he want quality players back as the squad until this summer was thin on quality because of economic reasons and managerial transfer squanderings.
3.) Wenger overplaying players into the "Red Zone" i.e. Cesc and Wilshere.
4.) Lack of regular pre-emptive use of Osteopaths, whose expert eye can detect and correct posture imbalances which can lead to injury.
"Colbert has the full backing of Wenger, whose loyalty to his staff is absolute. Yet there is widespread evidence to demonstrate that the club’s conditioning methods are counter-productive and need updating. Is it a coincidence that Kieran Gibbs' improved health this season has coincided with him employing a personal trainer from outside the club?"
I suppose we can't legislate for repeated demolishing of legs , but we do rack up a disproportionate amount of soft tissue injuries.
Whether our training methods are straight out of the '70s, or we have awful coaches, or we have Drs Crippen & Shipman on the payroll is up for debate I suppose.
It does seem the increase coincides with the move to the grove and improved training facilities, could the surfaces they play and train on have an impact? I've read somewhere that the pitch isn't 100% grass its intertwined with other textures to give it the immaculate appearance and its durability. On a bit more of a serious note, isn't the minor use of legal "natural" muscle builders more likely to cause ligament damage?
There are many factors but buying players with previous history of injuries such as arteta and the hapless yaya sonagol ,and retaining and extending contracts or the perennial sick notes ,Diaby and Rosicky MUST add a considerable amount to the figures too !
, but we do rack up a disproportionate amount of soft tissue injuries.
