Arsene Wenger is confident his medical team can continue to stave off the injury problems that have blighted Arsenal’s recent campaigns.
According to stats from physioroom.com used by The Mirror, the number of injuries experienced by first team players dropped by more than 20 per cent last season compared to 2013/14 with muscular injuries falling by the same figure.
It’s also highlighted that the number of days lost to injury dropped by more than 25 per cent, down from 2472 to 1834.
While muscular injuries still hover above the Premier League average for the last five seasons, the boss says that a change in preparation appears to be paying dividends.
“We always try to improve in every department and it’s true that we have done more fitness preparation on the medical side,” Wenger told press in Singapore.
“Every year we try to move forward and we feel that we have done much better last season. I’m confident that we will do better again this season.
“At the moment we came with 27 players, three goalkeepers and 24 outfield players, and they are all available to play on Saturday.”
A cursory glance at the staff page on Arsenal.com shows an expanded backroom staff with performance enhancement trainer, Shad Forsythe, the most high profile name.
In addition to three full-time masseurs there’s also two first team physiotherapists working under head physio Gary Colin Lewin, a performance nutritionist, two fitness coaches – Tony Colbert the most well known – and a club doctor.
We also reported recently on the arrivals of a new strength and conditioning coach, Barry Solan, and of course, Finnish waxing specialist Mia Yaggi.
Let’s hope their combined efforts help the boys stay fit. Obviously you can’t legislate for clodhopping opposition louts flying into reckless challenges and snapping bones, but it’d be nice to think the niggly muscular problems can be kept under control.
Arseblog News suspects the departure of poor Abou Diaby will probably go some way to ensuring the figures noted above drop even further.
“In addition to three full-time masseurs there’s also two first team physiotherapists working under head physio Gary Lewin” – Unless Gary has returned, you probably mean Colin.
The good thing about this season is that we seem to be content and satisfied with the squad we have.
..we can add should an exceptional opportunity arises… Otherwise we can go to the season confident the squad will deliver.
Well, i think the correct take here is ” we are all resigned to accept the fact that ARSENE, seem to be content and satisfied with the squad we have”, as i am sure if you take a poll, most fans would like to see at least a couple more signings to key areas already identified in several earlier posts…..but i am all for optimism, it is what it is, he’s done it before, so i am prepared to accept his call and trust that the squad can deliver as it is next season.
Yes, unless our Coq breaks, then uh-oh…
So…. Those comment suggesting that arteta is injured again during this pre-season tour to singapore is bs. It’s the media again who twist the thing to make we look so bad & arteta’s contract extension is such a waste.
25 in a PL squad. Alexis and Ospina to come back, though we are overstocked with keepers if Ospina or Szcz stays.
22 went to Singapore that are definite first team squad members, so we are up to 23 if one keeper goes and Alexis comes back. Who are the remaining two if there are no new signings?
I need to mention: F*ck Arnautovic.
That was a cheapshot at diaby.
No, it wasn’t.
Last I checked a spade was a spade
It was definitely a cheapshot at Karate Kid.
Can’t News Hound fight his own battles?
Diaby played once (I think?) last season, yet was on the roster. It wasn’t his fault, but his stats were added to the totals and that will have warped the average. So yes, with Abou having left us, the club as a whole will miss a lot fewer days than before. Again, this wasn’t his fault, and the article wasn’t saying it was, but it’s simple mathematics.
The cheap short was that Sunderland Fucker that gave Diaby his first injury.
Is that waxing specialist for real?? I thought blogs was fooling around!
To be fair, I thought the waxing specialist was a joke too.
Down 25% is good progress but the number is still much, much too high. Focusing on the physical conditioning of players was something Arsene revolutionized when he came to us, so if he thinks My Miyagi…Mia Yaggi can heal streamline our root to success I have no right to question him!
You do know the wax thing isn’t real, right?
Say it aint so! I’ve been had! Will I ever learn to trust again?!?…
I said Mr.Miyagi because of the wax on-wax off reference…thought that was obvious, I wanted to do the strikethrough text but I didn’t know how/couldn’t be bothered to find out!
The squad staying fit alone means 10 extra points on last season.
Cech is another 12-15 points.
Look like we will walk it.
Agreed. I hate to reference Chelski, but the reason they won the league was that their first choice back four was essentially stable and available all season. Imagine how many ponts they would have dropped without the c$&t Terry there every week and his understudy c%&t Cahill along side him. They got lucky with injuries. We haven’t had that same luck in a few years. hopefully they get the injuries this year and we stay healthy. If so, league is ours.
Stop trying to make Mia Yaggi a thing, Blogs. The more I hear it, the more I wish it were true 😀
Wenger knows our injury prone issues have plagued us and that we have yet to find solution medically. Part of the reason is he was forced to take a punt on some young players who exhibit a high potential but had injury issues. This made pricing affordable during our leaner years when we were building the stadium. With Chelsea, City in market for young players to fulfill homegrown rulings over the last 5 years, it had made the youth market more challenging for Wenger as even those prices started to creep up. Look no further than some of the academy… Read more »
the squad has loads of depth and loads of versitility, the big question is does it have the quality.
Why should history repeat itself? Why do people always put out red herrings (the press). When we went through a barren patch, they would say idiotic things like we would never win a trophy again. More recently we have them saying we will never stay fit. Unless you are of the habit of looking backwards, things change. Wenger evolves as does the club. There is no reason to believe we will have the same injury issues just as there is no reason to believe say Ramsey or Walcott (as young players) would have forever been at their unconvincing level. Wenger… Read more »