Arsenal injuries: Midfield options further depleted as Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta injured during West Brom defeat
As if a first Premier League defeat in seven games wasn't enough of a blow, Arsenal were left to rue injuries to Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta during a 2-1 reversal at West Bromwich Albion that leaves them short of options in midfield.
During another bruising encounter with a Tony Pulis side, Joel Campbell staked a claim for miss of the season and Santi Cazorla ballooned a penalty over the bar in slapstick fashion as a strike from James Morrison and an Arteta own goal left Arsenal defeated and in fourth place – two points behind league leaders Leicester.
And Arsene Wenger's disappointment will be compounded by injuries to his two primary defensive midfielders in Coquelin and Arteta leaving him with only Mathieu Flamini as an established first choice option in the position.
He described Arteta's issue as a "calf problem" and Coquelin's as "a bit more severe with a knee problem".
Read more: Arsene Wenger defends training regime as injury-hit Gunners fail to hit Premier League summit
Coquelin and Arteta join fellow midfielders Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere on Arsenal's absentee list, now stretched to seven players.
Only Newcastle United are currently suffering from a worse bill of health.
Wenger has previously felt compelled to stick up for the club's fitness regime, bemoaning the undpredictable nature of injuries after Arsenal's last Premier League encounter against Tottenham.
“The problem is that there are so many factors that intervene in an injury – how well do you sleep, how well do you eat, how much stress do you have outside the pitch?” said the Frenchman.
“It is a very sensitive subject and a very complicated one that we try to sort out. Then on the other hand you have players that are injured because their body doesn’t take it.”
Arsenal players have been injured on 16 separate occasions this season, a record which actually compares quite favourably to their rivals in the Premier League title race.
Of clubs in the top five as the table stands, only Leicester have received fewer individual injuries.
Yet Arsenal's have been particularly damaging: Rosicky, Welbeck and Wilshere are yet to play a game this season while Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott have been ruled out for a collective 14 games and 90 days.
