Arsenal wait on injured Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Laurent Koscielny
Monday 30 November 2015 09:22, UK
Arsenal are waiting to discover the severity of injuries to Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Laurent Koscielny following the 1-1 draw at Norwich.
Sanchez, who picked up a hamstring niggle late on in the 3-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb in midweek, started at Carrow Road, but was substituted in the second half holding the same hamstring after stretching for the ball in the Norwich penalty area.
French defender Koscielny was replaced by Gabriel early on following a hip injury, while Cazorla finished the match but was suffering with a knee problem in the final moments following an earlier knock, and could not be substituted with Arsenal having used all three replacements.
Manager Arsene Wenger said after the draw, which left the Gunners two points off the top of the Premier League, that the severity of the injuries would be assessed on Monday.
He told Sky Sports: "We have three because Cazorla played on one leg for the final part of the second half. He has a knee problem, Sanchez has a hamstring injury and Koscielny has a hip problem.
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"How bad it is I do not know, we will have to see in the morning."
Asked if he should have rested Sanchez for the trip, Wenger said the Chilean insisted he felt no problems with the hamstring.
"You can say that, but at the moment on the striker front we have not a lot of choice. Because Welbeck is out, Walcott is out, Chamberlain is just coming back.
"The players are there to play football and not to be rested and not for the press to decide if they need to be rested.
"He says it is a kick on his hamstring, I believe that is not really the reality. I fear it is not the reality.
"We checked it [Sanchez's hamstring]. When you have normal force and normal stretch there is no problem and he had that.
"Nobody is scientifically developed enough to predict when a guy will be injured. I must say with all humility we are not in a position where we can predict (injuries) despite all our tests.
"I would have rested him today but he felt alright before the game, and he declared that he had no problem."
Wenger confirmed Koscielny was struggling to move after the game and that he is worried Cazorla may have suffered ligament damage in a challenge with Gary O'Neil.
Before the game, Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry spoke about the importance of keeping players fresh and indicated he would have liked to have seen Wenger take Sanchez off when they were 3-0 up against Zagreb.
Sanchez has played 1,107 minutes in the Premier League this season - more than any other forward at a Champions League club - and has played for Chile in their World Cup qualification campaign.
"He plays for Chile, travels 14 hours there and back and plays every game," Henry told Super Sunday afterwards.
"Even when the game is won sometimes he will still go and put some pressure on teams and that's why I mentioned it at the beginning of the game.
"I'm not a coach and I don't know how it is. I don't know the pressure of the players. I know I was a pain in the neck when you would take me out in the game.
"I thought, at the time, the game was won against Dinamo Zagreb. He scored, he had a good game and he didn't get injured. With 20 minutes to go, take him out."