Just when Arsenal thought their injury problems this season were about to ease, the Gunners were dealt a huge potential blow ahead of their crunch clash with Real Madrid next week.
Defender Gabriel pulled up early during their Premier League win over Fulham, which incidentally saw the welcome return off the bench of Bukayo Saka, who ended up scoring Arsenal’s winner.
With injuries and suspensions biting all season for the north Londoners, many have pointed to this as a primary factor in Arsenal’s faltering title bid this term.
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ByBen BrowningNov 22, 2024 7 Crystal Palace 14 injuries, 109 matches missed
Crystal Palace have fared rather well on the injury front this season, which will surely have had Oliver Glasner counting his blessings given the Eagles’ slow start to the campaign.
Cheick Doucoure and Matheus Franca have been among their chief absentees this term, but on the whole, Palace have only suffered injuries to 10 players since August – two of whom are currently off the books at Selhurst Park.
In fact, bar the long layoffs in the squad, Palace have one of the fittest squads in the league.
8 Everton 20 injuries, 130 matches missed
Given their struggles in recent years, it will have been imperative that Everton keep players fit to give themselves the best chance of survival this season.
And while they’ve had their fair share (eight players have missed a period of seven straight games or more), the Toffees compare pretty well to their Premier League rivals, with injuries not exactly widespread throughout the squad.
With Premier League clubs experiencing an average of 23.4 injuries this year so far, Everton’s tally of 20 has proved more than manageable, particularly following David Moyes’ return to Merseyside.
9 Fulham 14 injuries, 71 matches missed
Fulham could claim to be one of the most consistent sides in the Premier League this term – and having the majority of their squad to choose from almost certainly plays a key role.
The Cottagers have been blessed by the injury gods this year, losing just 71 matches throughout the squad this term after 30 matches played.
When you also consider they currently have three long-term injuries creating the bulk of this, Marco Silva’s fitness team must be doing something right.
10 Ipswich Town 25 injuries, 105 matches missed
Ipswich Town were always going to be up against it as far as staying up was concerned this year, and while the Tractor Boys are not down yet, they could have done with a bit more luck on the injury front until now.
The number of injuries they have had so far has been pretty average compared to their rivals, though Ipswich currently have several first-teamers who may not make a return before the end of the campaign.
With the majority of those players attackers, you could argue that injuries have played a part in their lack of potency this year, despite the stats suggesting they have got off relatively lightly.
Metric
Total
PL rank
Players injured
17
=8th
Injuries
25
10th
Matches missed
105
14th