'An Accident Waiting To Happen': Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Lashes Out At Heavy Schedule Amidst Injury Crisis

Arsenal much like several other European teams is going through an injury crisis due to an increased number of matches for the players with very little time to rest in between games. Mikel Arteta has been left without several of his star players such as Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. He believes that long term injuries are an accident that is waiting to be happened due to the workload that has been put on the players due to the schedule. 

Arteta Hits Out Against Massive Workload On Players 

Mikel Arteta on Friday lashed out against the workload and the heavy schedule that has been implemented on players. He stated that it was no surprise to see the number of injuries soaring and it was due to the extra load on players and increased intensity in modern day football. 

“You cannot prove it and the evidence we can provide is very limited in many aspects and every case is very different but already some of them (injuries) we know are based on load and minutes. It’s inevitable, We have players who have been injured who have played 130 games over the last two seasons. In the end, it’s an accident waiting to happen if you continue to load and load and load," said Mikel Arteta on the injury crisis going on at Arsenal. 

Read More: Inter Miami vs Orlando City Live Streaming: Check All The Details here

“Is this season an accumulation of that? Is it the stress of that? Is it luck? Is it preparation? Is it methodology? There are a lot of factors. It’s very difficult to point at something but the schedule that’s planned is super-demanding and for certain players, especially explosive players, it’s a real issue,” he further added to his statements. 

Arteta Says Players Are Training Less Than Ever 

Mikel Arteta further during his comments stated that the players are training less than ever and further explained how too many games and training affects the recoveries of the players. 

“The muscle is undertrained and then you expose the muscle and the tendon to an exposure that they cannot absorb because the tendon needs 72 hours to recover,” Arteta said. “A lot of people talk about what we’re doing outside. It’s not outside, it’s inside.

Read More: Brighton vs Chelsea Live Streaming: Check All The Details For EPL Match

“When you have to load that muscle for two or three or six or eight weeks that you haven’t in training, the risk of injury is much bigger — one, because the tendon is not recovered, and then it’s not prepared to absorb the load and stress you are going to put it under every three days,” said Arteta in his statements.