Arsenal and Tottenham face significant injury challenges this season, impacting their performances and strategies on the pitch.
London: Arsenal and Tottenham are both dealing with a tough time when it comes to injuries this season. They’re tied for the second-worst injury record in the Premier League, which is pretty rough.
Both teams have had a hard time keeping their players fit, especially in defense. Mikel Arteta and Ange Postecoglou have had to get creative to fill the gaps left by injured players. Arsenal has struggled to keep up in the title race, while Spurs have dropped to 11th place after a rough patch.
Tottenham’s injury situation hit a low point recently. Their main center-backs, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, both got hurt again during a wild 4-3 loss to Chelsea. Ben Davies is also sidelined with a hamstring issue, forcing Postecoglou to pair a young midfielder with a defender in their recent Europa League match.
It looks like they’ll have to stick with that makeshift defense when they face Southampton this Sunday. At least there’s some good news: Postecoglou said Davies’ injury isn’t as bad as they first thought, and they’re waiting to hear more about Romero and Van de Ven.
On top of that, their first-choice goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, is out, along with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert. Postecoglou is feeling the heat, calling this the worst injury crisis he’s faced as a manager. Plus, they’re missing key midfielders due to suspensions.
Meanwhile, Arsenal is hoping for some relief as Gabriel returned to training just in time for their match against Everton. They had a scare with seven players missing training before their Champions League win over Monaco, but some managed to play. However, they’re still missing a few key defenders.
Postecoglou seemed to take a jab at Arsenal when he talked about the injury situation, saying some clubs overreact to losing one center-back. He pointed out that missing three is a real challenge and affects how they play. He’s not shy about calling out the drama surrounding other teams’ injuries.
A recent table from Sky Sports shows that only Brighton and Ipswich have had worse luck with injuries than Arsenal and Tottenham this season. Brighton and Ipswich lead with 17 injuries each, while both London clubs have 16. It’s a tough spot for both teams as they try to navigate this challenging season.