Injuries, Bad Luck, and Arsenal’s Season—It Really Is That Simple
Well, That’s It… Isn’t It?
Barring a catastrophic meltdown on Merseyside—and Arsenal getting an unexpected stroke of luck—the 2024-25 Premier League season is pretty much wrapped up.
And let’s be honest, there isn’t a single Arsenal fan who isn’t frustrated by that. Fair enough. After all the great work Mikel Arteta and his team at Sobha have put in, we’ve finally reached the point where we’re legitimate contenders for major honors year after year.
But hey, I could sit here and turn this into a full-on rant—packed with what I believe to be largely unfounded criticism of the leadership and scouting team for not signing every player under the sun last summer—but the reality? We’ve been absolutely battered by injuries in ways no one could have predicted.
Look, it’s tough to win anything—whether it’s the Premier League or your Sunday five-a-side—when your squad is hit with an injury crisis you simply cannot plan for. Need a reminder? Just look at Liverpool last season. Injuries crushed them, and now that same curse has come for both Arsenal and Manchester City.
If you asked any Arsenal fan at the start of the season which players we could not afford to lose, you’d get three names without hesitation: Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and William Saliba. So naturally, we lost all three. Disaster? You bet.
City aren’t exactly living the dream either. Sure, they’ve still got Haaland, but losing a Ballon d’Or-level Rodri (plus a few other key players) hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park for them either.
At this point, any debate about whether Arsenal handled the summer window correctly should go straight in the bin.
Saka’s backups? Injured. Ødegaard? Down. Merino? Didn’t even get a chance to settle in. Oh, and Jesus? Yep, out for the season. And we’re not even done listing the casualties.
Would we be having the same old “Arteta isn’t good enough” conversations if the squad were fully fit? Probably not. In fact, we’d likely be talking about performances, not squad depth, if things were still a bit shaky.
And let’s give credit where it’s due—Arteta has somehow kept us in contention, not just in the league but also in Europe, despite the sheer bad luck that’s hit us like a ton of bricks. Blaming him for all of this is, quite frankly, a stretch.
Just take a look around. City started the season with one striker after offloading Julián Álvarez and Liam Delap. Their Plan B? A Phil Foden false 9 experiment. Liverpool, until this season, didn’t have a reliable backup for Salah either. When the Egyptian king got injured last season, the answer was Harvey Elliott or Curtis Jones—neither of whom are actual wingers. But they managed.
Arsenal’s current situation? It’s not some freak anomaly. Squad building is hard—especially when you’re trying to convince top-level players to come sit on the bench behind Saka. And honestly, getting Raheem Sterling on loan with zero financial burden was a pretty solid move.
So, what if Liverpool were in our position? Would Arne Slot’s men still be flying high if Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Alexis Mac Allister were all out at the same time? That’s a hard no.
If you still need convincing, let’s talk cold, hard facts.
According to Sky Sports, only Brighton (23), Aston Villa (22), and Spurs (21) have had more injuries resulting in missed matches than Arsenal’s 20 this season. City’s right behind with 19, while Liverpool—lucky them—have only had 12. And guess what? Nottingham Forest have had the fewest with just 8, and look where they are now.
It’s no shocker that City, Villa, and Spurs are underperforming compared to last season, while Liverpool—blessed by the injury gods—are marching toward the title.
At the end of the day, availability is everything in professional sports. No amount of squad depth can cover for losing your best players long-term. Maybe, just maybe, we should stop using this situation as a way to criticize Arteta and instead accept that some things are out of his control.
That said, let’s be real—reinforcements are needed. Now.
Running the rest of the season with one available striker and no clear idea of when Saka will be back to his best? That’s not exactly the ideal scenario for a club still hoping to finish strong.
Sure, we can debate whether Arsenal should look to upgrade on Martinelli or Trossard. Maybe a move for Nico Williams makes sense, with Martinelli offering versatility across both flanks.
Bringing in Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi could elevate our midfield instantly. And if we can land Rosenborg wonderkid Sverre Halseth Nypan? That’s a long-term win. He profiles similarly to Ødegaard and could develop nicely under his guidance.
The bottom line? Arsenal remains a well-run club with a clear direction under Arteta. Even if some decisions test the patience of a fanbase that loves to think they know better than those working behind the scenes every day.
And hey, let’s not forget—the season isn’t over yet. There’s still an outside shot at making a push in the league, and the Champions League dream is alive and well.
At the end of the day, it’s crucial to take a step back and see things for what they are. As James Benge put it so well:
“Tonight, and indeed this season, was lost in the treatment room.”
