Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has questioned the “bad luck” his old side have faced on the injury front compared to Premier League title rivals Liverpool – hinting that the latter may be doing something better when it comes to recovering their players.
It comes as the Gunners appear to have slipped further away from winning the league this season, following some devastating results.
Arsenal’s defeat to West Ham only opened the door for Liverpool to capitalise, with the Reds beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium to move 11 points clear with one more match played.
It means the North London outfit have an increasingly difficult task ahead to somehow lift the Premier League title this season.
One thing that Mikel Arteta may well be cursing is his injury luck, with plenty of key players missing throughout the campaign.
Ian Wright questions Arsenal and Liverpool injuries
One thing Arsenal may point to is that Liverpool haven’t been challenged with is the issues surrounding injuries for the side.
The Gunners have been missing key players such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard for much of the season, while they currently have no centre-forward available.
Meanwhile, while some injuries have come and gone for Liverpool, they haven’t been in the same clusters the north London side have suffered from.
Speaking about that difference on Wrighty’s House podcast, Arsenal legend Ian Wright said: “It’s always bad luck when you have an injury but when you’re getting a few and a load of players coming out then you have to start looking at the [medical/physio] department.
“You have to start looking at what’s going on behind the scenes in respect of the rehab and the science and everything what’s going on. And that’s why I suppose they go for the very best they can.
“You have to say if they’re [Liverpool] not getting as many injuries as other people, like injuries we’re [Arsenal] getting, then obviously they’re doing something different and maybe better.”
While it’s unclear just how much the off-field work could change the injury luck around, the focus for Arsenal heading into next season will surround not being impacted quite as heavily by injuries.
- READ MORE: Who are the Arsenal medical team? Meet the doctors and physios helping players on the pitch
Mikel Arteta has noticed Arsenal and Liverpool injury difference
It’s not just Arsenal fans who have noticed the difference between the two teams and their injury luck this season.
Mikel Arteta himself has pointed out the difference in squads when speaking in January after the Gunners drew with Aston Villa hours after Liverpool scored late to beat Brentford with help from their bench.
“There are moments, and obviously they (Liverpool) managed to do that (win),” he told the press. “They made the subs, and the subs made the impact and changed the game.
“On our side, it was the opposite, even after conceding the two goals very close to each other. The danger was that I knew half the team could go downhill because we were physically drained.”
Whether that means any change could follow in the medical department is unclear, however, it could spark some change in the transfer market.
Arsenal enter the summer knowing they need more quality in depth, which could see them look to the market for several options to bolster the team.
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