Arsenal has suffered a ridiculous 889 injuries (including illnesses) since the start of the 2002-03 season, according to a recent report by Physioroom.com.

The nearly 900 injuries during the last 12 seasons (plus the first two months of the current campaign) is an astronomical number compared to other top Premier League teams. In the same timespan, Manchester United has had 792 injuries, while Chelsea only 620 and Liverpool merely 551 during the same time frame.

Topping the list of injured players on the current roster is Theo Walcott.  The speedster has amassed 42 total injuries since arriving from Southampton in 2006.  The England international’s current injury problem, an ACL tear, has seen Walcott miss the last nine months (including the 2014 World Cup).  Rounding out the top five current Arsenal players that have totaled the most injuries include:

Abou Diaby (40),
Tomas Rosicky (36),
Kieran Gibbs (27), and
Laurent Koscielny & Jack Wilshere (19).

Current Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen, who just departed from Arsenal in August, collected 24 injuries during his time in north London.

The injuries have also appeared to have picked up over the last few seasons.  The Gunners have tallied 194 injuries (including illnesses) since October 1st 2012.  This period of two calendar years only covers 114 competitive matches (not including preseason friendlies or any international matches).

Fully aware of the situation, the Gunners brought top fitness expert Shad Forsythe into the club at the beginning of the season.  Forsythe, an American, had previously worked with the German national team since 2004.  The signing of Forsythe has not exactly solved Arsenal’s injury woes so far this campaign.

Coming off of a 1-1 draw against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, a game in which the Gunners suffered two of the 889 injuries (Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey), Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that he does not know why his team has injury issues.  The Frenchman stated, “We have to really look at what happened.  There’s no logic as it’s two players who were not involved in the week — no Arteta, not Ramsey — and they had quite a light week for them.  We have to analyze what happened there.  I don’t understand.”

While there may not be a definitive answer to the injury crisis at Arsenal, and most will say that the north London powerhouse just has bad luck, there are some factors that can very well add to the problem.  By now, teams are well aware that the Gunners are a finesse team and do not respond well to physicality.  The style of play in which Wenger deploys is very much built on speed, time on the ball, and slick passing.  Arsenal has been known to fall apart at times during matches when other clubs put pressure and foul Gunner players.  The fouls add up and certainly don’t help injury problems.

Nevertheless, despite their massive injury woes, Arsenal has still managed to qualify for the lucrative Champions League after every season since Wenger was appointed manager in 1996.  This impressive feat cannot be duplicated by Manchester United, Liverpool, or Chelsea during the 18-year stretch.