I do not like to harp on about Arsenal and how luck has not been on our side for a long time now, because it often sounds like sour grapes, while other people often say that luck evens itself out over the course of a season or two. But then again you hear people in the football world regularly saying that you need a bit of luck to win a title or a trophy.
One of the biggest ways that bad luck has hurt Arsenal in recent years has been through injury problems. We have all seen the stats showing how may more lost days to injury we have had than our rivals, and Arsene Wenger was forced to bring in some fitness and medical experts to try and sort it out.
The just as we were starting to thing the problems had been solved; bang! we lose Rosicky, bang! we lose Wilshere, bang! we lose Welbeck and all three have had to have an operation and will not be back in action for a while. So once again the Gunners were starting to look in danger of an injury crisis ruining yet another season, especially when Alexis Sanchez limped off against Man United – after Koscielny, Arteta and Flamini had all missed the game with their own knocks.
Luckily enough though, it looks like all four of these players will be fit for action after the international break or very soon after it. In an Arsenal.com report the boss revealed that Alexis would be joining up with the Chile national side and he expects him to play.
Wenger said, “He has a little groin problem. Unfortunately he goes to Chile. You cannot stop him from going to Chile and he loves so much to play for his country, and he will play against Brazil [on Friday] and Peru [next] Tuesday so the game at home against Brazil he will not want to miss. Hopefully he will come back in good shape.”
I think it is great news that he is jetting off because it means that his injury is not a real problem and I’m sure that Chile will not risk him if he is not fit, as their games are just friendlies. The prognosis for Kos was three weeks and he has already had one of them, with the other two coming when we have no games. Arteta and Flamini, meanwhile, have minor muscular strains that should not take long and the next two weeks gives Coquelin a chance to recharge his batteries and be ready for action again in two weeks.
So do you agree that Arsenal’s luck seems to be turning for the better?