Alexis Sanchez Injury Fatal For Arsenal

We’ve had a steady stream of Arsenal supporters into the Football Transfer Tavern this evening and it’s fair to say that the Gooners aren’t happy!

The draw left Arsenal two points below league leaders Manchester City in fourth place.

The Wales midfielder had been sidelined since October, but returned as a substitute in the Gunners’ convincing midweek win against Dinamo Zagreb.

Arsene Wenger defended his decision to play Alexis Sanchez at Norwich on Sunday – even though he saw the forward forced off through injury.

Sanchez had to be withdrawn after an hour with a hamstring injury and Norwich came close to a victor when the ball flicked off Gabriel’s head and toward his own goal, only for Petr Cech to make a superb save.

The 14-minute journey from Norfolk back to Bedfordshire would have looked more like a medical evacuation than a team flight: Laurent Koscielny “barely able to move” with a hip injury; Santi Cazorla “on one leg after jarring his knee ligaments”; Alexis Sanchez putting a “brave face” on what looked an bad lot like a pulled hamstring.

Bellerin told Arsenal Player: “The conditions weren’t the best but Norwich are a well-organised team who were very solid at the back and unsafe on the counter”.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger knew star Alexis Sanchez was starting to become jaded – so why did he risk such a crucial asset?

The good news is that Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made their returns from injury recently so we do have players ready to step-in, but it’s still a huge blow to lose Sanchez and Cazorla for any period of time.

Given how the events have been unfolding, the annual injury slump that ruins another promising Arsenal campaign is already going on.

“No I don’t regret it”, he said after the game. The Ox’s directness causes so many problems for his opponents, not only because he puts them on the back foot, but because he runs at them with his ferocious pace and strength, making him more than a handful for most players. “The only thing we need to do is go out onto the pitch with the right mentality, it does not matter who we play”.

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. We will have to assess them.