Arsenal’s worst nightmares became reality on Sunday as their injury crisis deepened.
Gunners playmaker Alexis Sanchez became the latest member of Arsene Wenger’s squad to break down.
Laurent Koscielny and Santi Cazorla also ended Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Norwich City with injury concerns.
According to The Mirror, Koscielny should be ok to return to training later this week.
However, the national newspaper claim that Sanchez is likely to be sidelined for three weeks.
That would see him miss Arsenal’s crunch Champions League trip to Olympiacos on December 9, as well as Premier League matches against Aston Villa and Sunderland.
The Mirror report that Cazorla is also set to miss the Olympiacos game, which Arsenal must win by a two-goal margin – or by scoring three or more goals in victory – to qualify for the knockout phase of Europe’s biggest club competition.
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Some Arsenal fans blame Wenger for Sanchez’s latest injury – a problem with his hamstring. Disgruntled Gooners – and some members of the press – accuse the manager of overplaying the Chilean international.
Talking to Arsenal’s official website after the Norwich match, Wenger hit back at the media.
“The players are there to play football and not to be rested when the press decides they need to be rested,” he said.
When asked what condition Sanchez had been in in the build-up to the Norwich game, Wenger added: “We checked him and when you have no force and no middle stretch in your hamstring then there is no problem and he had that.”