Every year as the business end of the season approaches, one particular team is hit by a spate of injuries to their core players that results in the premature death of their title race. For several seasons now this team has had fate play cruel tricks on their players that leave them wounded. That team is Arsenal.
This year is no different. Just when things seemed to be going right, Samir Nasri picks up an injury.
On Sunday, as Arsenal played Huddersfield in a crucial FA Cup tie, Nasri picked up a hamstring injury when chasing down a long ball. Wenger has expressed his regret in playing the Frenchman, but the damage has already been done.
Samir Nasri has been, without a shadow of a doubt, Arsenal’s best player so far this season and has inspired Arsenal to many a victory.
He overcame the disappointment of being left out of France’s World Cup squad and has been firing on all cylinders. He has scored an extremely impressive 14 goals for Arsenal this season, but it’s not only the goals he has been plundering in. His overall play has undergone a massive change, and he has been an extremely influential player in Arsenal’s midfield.
In the absence of Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie, he rose to the occasion and led Arsenal to several key victories. He has started delivering the goods consistently. There has been no denying that Nasri has always had potential to become one of the world’s best midfielders, but he has too often been extremely inconsistent and dazzled in glimpses.
This season he has been a totally different player. He has set up goals, his linkup play has been exquisite and contributions to the team have been immense.
In the past couple of weeks we have gotten an idea of Arsenal’s first choice team. Alex Song and Jack Wilshere fill in the defensive midfielder roles. Nasri and Theo Walcott play on the flanks while Fabregas plays the central midfielder role. Van Persie starts as Arsenal’s forward.
This team has been extremely impressive and has dominated teams including teams with the caliber of Chelsea. It looked like the real deal and the entire team was playing with a chemistry that was a joy to watch.
They linked up well with each other. Arsenal looked like real championship material when fielding this particular team.
Now with Nasri out it affects the entire team. Not only have Arsenal lost his brilliance and spark the momentum that has been generated over the past month has all gone. His absence affects Arsenal’s overall style of play.
Now Arsene Wenger faces a dilemma of who to field in his place. Should he play the brilliant, effective and yet lazy Russian Andrei Arshavin or should he start with either Marouane Chamakh or Nicklas Bendtner to partner Van Persie up front.
No matter whom he decides to field, the change in play is going to be evident and Arsenal risk losing all the momentum built over the past few weeks. Not only that, but in a few weeks time, Arsenal play Barcelona in a crucial Champions League fixture.
If Arsenal are to beat the Catalan giants they will need a fit and firing squad. They will definitely miss Nasri in their midfield.
Barcelona are the world’s best team in the world right now and Arsenal have the quality to put up a great fight and even possibly win it. But for that, they require a full strength squad, which is a luxury they no longer have.
This isn’t the first time Arsenal have had injuries affect their title challenge. Last season Arsenal were just four points behind leaders Chelsea when their title push collapsed.
The reason??
At that point Arsenal had close to seven first team players injured. These included Van Persie, Fabregas, Arshavin, Ramsey and the first choice centre back pairing of Vermaelen and Gallas.
One can’t help but get the feeling that had it not been for injuries Arsenal could have lifted a trophy last season.
Three years back it was an injury to Eduardo that ended Arsenal’s title hopes. Eduardo had been superb in his first season at the Emirates and was scoring consistently. Then he had his leg broken in a match against Birmingham. After that, Arsenal never, especially mentally.
That injury took place when Arsenal were leading the table by five points. Arsenal went onto finish third, falling short by four points.
In the past few years, Arsenal have rarely been able to field a full strength squad often having two or three players injured at the least.
Sure, injuries are a part of the game, but no other team has suffered from injuries like the Gunners. This has been one of the primary reasons for Arsenal’s trophy drought.
Although Arsenal’s trophy drought cannot be blamed on injuries alone, it is extremely tough for a team to win with the spine of their team injured. Arsenal find themselves in this same situation almost every season.
Luck is essential to any successful title challenge and Arsenal have been lacking this key ingredient for several seasons now.
This time, it looked like Vermaelen would be the only player to be injured come February, but sadly it was not to be.
With Nasri injured, Arsenal finds itself in the very situation they were so desperate to avoid.
Now Arsenal can only hope they are not hit by any more injuries and can continue to challenge for titles.
They have the talent and the squad but if the injuries continue to happen, they will find themselves in a similar situation from previous seasons.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/591278-injuries-will-they-stop-arsenal-from-lifting-a-trophy-as-nasri-gets-injured
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Snow
Brittny Gastineau
Brody Dalle
Brooke Burke
Members of the New York Cosmos' office staff -- the only people currently employed by the soccer club without a team -- began arriving at their Manhattan headquarters at 4 a.m. Wednesday.
CARSON, Calif. -- For the casual fan of the U.S. national team, 
A day after the 
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The 
According to porn star Kacey Jordan, during 
Jim O'Brien has been fired by the 
You probably woke up today and thought it would be just another average Tuesday. It's not, though. Today is very special. There's an online movement happening today. 
Welcome to the Family TV Roundup, a recap of all kid-friendly programming across the television universe. We'll sum up all the news related to children's programming, as well as profile the people and shows that your kids, tweens and teens are talking about.
Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local 
That's the word from area ticket brokers, in advance of this Sunday's NFC championship game between the bitter division rivals. 
If you've already put together a list of your favorite inappropriate quotes of 2010, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to make room at the top. 
LONDON (AP) -- Two of Britain's leading soccer commentators were reprimanded by their TV network and taken off the air Monday after making sexist remarks about two female game officials and a team executive.
['Spartacus' - 'Missio']
For the second time in two national team appearances, teen sensation Juan Agudelo entered as a substitute and made the difference for the Americans.![do [their] part as a fan](http://www.nfllockout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/BTC_stadium_600X338.jpg){kind=link}