We all know that Arsenal have had more injury problems than any of our rivals in recent years. And there has been plenty of discussion as to why (and whose fault it is) and also whether Arsene Wenger should have planned better for this sort of situation.
But that is not what I am taking about today. Because Mathieu Flamini has claimed that the Gunners have enough quality in the squad to compete with the very best clubs, in an interview reported by the Daily Star. The French midfielder also believes that only the injury problems have stopped Arsenal from doing a lot better this season and possibly winning the title last time.
Flamini said, “It’s the belief of the team that we can really achieve something, and I think you [media] guys agree as well that we have top quality.
“We have a lot of quality – strong at the back, good in midfield and up front as well – so the only problem is we’re very unlucky with injuries.
“I definitely believe we have the quality in the team to achieve something big. It’s not easy to go through all these games with so many injuries, but I believe in my team and I believe in their quality.”
The 30-year old did accept that the performance in Stoke was not good enough but he also praised the resilience and character in the team to bounce straight back. I wrote a few articles last season about how the injuries to the likes of Ramsey, Walcott, Chamberlain, Podolski and Ozil was a big factor in the falling away of our title challenge and this season has been even harder on Wenger.
So is Flamini right? And if so, will we ever stay injury free long enough to prove it?