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Arsenal FC: Premier League Injury Analysis 09/10 – 13/14

Here at Cute Injury we’ve been crawling through the data of reported injuries in the English Premier League over the past five seasons to see what patterns and trends might emerge. We’ve recorded a host of injury data for every Premier League team that was in the Premier League for each of the past five seasons – between the 09/10 and 13/14 seasons (Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke and Sunderland). Below you can see the results of our research into Arsenal's injury record over the past five seasons. To help illustrate the level of injuries Arsenal have suffered over this time period, we asked Kevin from arsenalcartoons.com to contribute some great cartoons to go along with our analysis.

Arsenal injury record: key findings

In total over the past five seasons (09/10 to 13/14) Arsenal have suffered 194 different injuries. That averages out at 38.8 injuries per season – or just over 1 injury for every Premier League game! As you can see, after a couple of injury-hit seasons in 09/10 and 10/11 the number of recorded injuries per season have levelled out to around 35 a season.

Total lost playing time – 362 months

Age: 30 Over the past five seasons, Arsenal have lost a total of 362 months playing time due to injuries. That adds up to just over 30 years! So effectively the entire life span of Mathieu Flamini has been spent on the Arsenal injury table over the past five seasons!

Player out for the longest

It probably won’t come as any surprise for Arsenal fans to learn that Abou Diaby is the player to have been out injured the longest over the past five seasons. The midfielder has been injured for a total of 36.5 months – which is just over 3 years on the treatment table! A lot of that time was down to one particular knee injury - which kept the French midfielder out for a full year - and since then he has suffered numerous calf, groin, thigh and hamstring injuries.

Player with the most injuries

Over the past five seasons, two players stand out with the most individual injuries. Both Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs have had 14 different recorded injuries each since the 09/10 season. These injuries have led to both players spending about two years on the treatment table – Walcott spending 24.5 months out and Gibbs 23.5 months.

Position with the most injuries

Arsenal’s midfielders are by far the most likely to get injured. In the past five seasons, midfielders have recorded 96 separate injuries – which is almost 20 injuries per season and 50% of all of Arsenal's injuries.

Most common type of injury

Hamstring injuries are the most common throughout the Arsenal squad, with 34 different hamstring injuries being recorded over the past five seasons – just under 7 per season.

Most common injury per position

For goalkeepers, the most common injuries are shoulder and ankle injuries - with 3 each over the past 5 seasons. For defenders and midfielders, the most common injuries are hamstring injuries (12 for defenders and 18 for midfielders). For forwards, the most common injury is an ankle injury - with 7 recorded in the past 5 seasons.

Most serious injury

Although it is the most common cause of injury, hamstrings aren’t the most serious – that distinction goes to knee injuries, which have contributed to a total of 79 months of player absence (just over 6 years!) Ankle injuries are a close second – contributing 75 months of injuries.

Most common time of injury

The month of January seems to be the most common time for Arsenal players to get injured, with 13.4% of all recorded injuries happening in January. Is this coincidence, or does it suggest the English Premier League should seriously start considering a winter break to prevent injuries and fatigue?

Get the data

For access to the raw data to do your own analysis on Arsenal’s injury record, just use one of the share buttons below to access the download link...