Arsenal’s Santi Carzola set to miss three months with knee ligament damage

Arsenal’s injury crisis grows worse as Santi Carzola has now been ruled out for three months, due to knee ligament damage.

Things just seem to be getting worse for Arsenal. The north London club is facing its annual injury crisis which threatens to derail their title aspirations. The Gunners are currently faced with a massive list of wounded warriors which include Jack Wilshere, Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Mikel Arteta, Francis Coquelin, Tomas Rosicky, Danny Welbeck and now Santi Carzola. The Spanish international picked up a the injury while challenging Norwich midfielder Gary O’Neil. Carzola was forced to remain on the pitch for the remainder of the game, although he was clearly limited by the injury because Arsenal had already used their three substitutions in order to care for fellow injured players Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny.

By continuing to play on the damaged knee, Carzola exacerbated the issue. What could have been contained as a negligible incident, now results in a lengthy absence for one of Arsenal’s best players. Carzola is crucial to Arsenal’s goals of claiming silverware this season. The pint-sized playmaker acts as the team’s metronome in the center of the pitch, and per Daily Mail Carzola is the first player in the English top flight to notch 1,000 successful passes.

Along with Francis Coquelin, Carzola completed one of the best midfield foundations in the Premier League. Now however both players will be remaining on the treatment table until March at the earliest. This is a devastating blow for an Arsenal side who seemed primed to make a genuine push for the title, before this gruesome spate of injuries occurred.

With the January transfer window only a month away many fans will be clamoring for new signings to ease the team’s woes. Manager Arsene Wenger failed to bring in one outfield player during the summer transfer window and it will be even more difficult to find recruits in the winter months. Most teams will want to keep their best players in order to attain their own goals and Arsenal may find themselves grasping at straws for qualified back up. With a threadbare squad and the hectic festive period approaching in the Premier league, Arsenal are faced with a very tall order as they look to keep pace with the top of the table.