Wenger: Alexis injury not my fault

Arsenal may be in the Barclays Premier League title race this season, but their chances are being hurt by a stream of injuries to key men.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s gamble of playing his injured “lion” Alexis Sanchez in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Norwich City may prove costly as the Chilean hobbled off amid fears he could face a lengthy absence.

Before the match Sanchez had insisted he was fit to play and Henry admitted he has sympathy for the Arsenal boss because he has a tough situation to manage.

Former club Bournemouth had bids rejected as they looked to lure him back to the south coast and, although he ultimately remained a Norwich player, he was rarely given the opportunity to feature. “It was one of those games where we conceded a goal from a bit of sloppy play, and you’re thinking “here we go again”. We will have to assess the injury in the week.

“We had a bad spell of three games now with Tottenham, West Brom and today where we took only two points”, Wenger said. We felt many times that we had a lot of possession but couldn’t get in there enough because we were not sharp enough physically.

“They are ready to step up so obviously every single player on the bench can do the same job as every single player in the starting 11”.

While Henry found his compatriot culpable for allowing Alexis to indulge in excessive game-time, he understands the pressure placed on Wenger that necessitates his constant use of the club’s best players.

Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp picked up his first league win at Anfield as James Milner’s second-half penalty gave Liverpool all three points in a tensely contested game against Swansea.

A draw for Arsenal on Sunday at Norwich, though, left Arsene Wenger experiencing the same old frustrations.

“It was good to be back out here and to get some minutes under my belt”, he said.

More often than not, it feels as if we’re cruising along, heading for great things but as soon as we get past Halloween all the wheels start to fall off. “Playing the way we played, I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next 10 matches we don’t lose one”.

But Lewis Grabban equalised against the run of play just before halftime with the eventual nervy draw for the Gunners leaving them fourth on 27, a point behind Manchester United. “We want to be aggressive”, he told reporters.