What is it with Arsenal and injuries?
Just when they’re on the verge of kicking on and dominating a Premier League that is crying out for someone to take control, they suffer a number of vital injuries that derail their challenge.
As well as losing Alexis Sanchez to a hamstring strain, and a plethora of other knocks and pulls, it seems that Santi Cazorla’s knee damage could be far more serious than initially assumed.
Indeed Arsene Wenger, who has been criticised for not resting his star names, is extremely pessimistic about the Spanish playmaker’s initial prognosis.
“What happened to him was that the ball was in the air, he wanted to pick it out and he didn’t see [Gary] O’Neil, who came in and went through him. I don’t know if he needs an operation or if it will be the whole season.
“I have to wait until we have a complete assessment from the specialist. We know his external knee ligament has been touched, and he might have a capsular problem as well, but I don’t know for how long he will be out.”
Arsenal fans aren’t best pleased with their manager for not bringing the player off following the injury, but Wenger explains that Cazorla was adamant that he was fine.
“I said: ‘Santi, are you all right?’ he said he was okay. He loves so much to play.
“Sometimes, you don’t know how bad it is – he did not know how bad it was either. He said he had a big pain but he could play on. It could be a rupture.”
