Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have bemoaned injury problems this season but which Premier League sides have been most affected? The data throws up some surprises.
Manchester City and Arsenal have had to do without key players, including Rodri, who is out with a knee injury, and Martin Odegaard, who missed two months with an ankle problem.
Guardiola said City were “in trouble” due to their injuries last month, describing their issues as the worst of his managerial career, while Arteta described the last two months as an injury “nightmare” for Arsenal after their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
We asked Premier Injuries to crunch the numbers on how their injury problems compare to those of other Premier League sides.
The graphic above ranks Premier League teams by the total number of injuries causing players to miss at least one game this season.
It’s not City or Arsenal but Tottenham who sit top, on 13, with Micky van de Ven, Heung-Min Son, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert among the players affected.
Spurs are closely followed by Brighton and newly-promoted Ipswich, who have suffered 12 separate time-loss injuries each, with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace next on the list with 11 injuries each.
That means there are five teams who have suffered more individual injuries than City and Arsenal, who are on 10 apiece.
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Premier League leaders Liverpool have suffered seven injuries, the same number as Manchester United, whose injury problems have lessened this season after they topped the metric with 45 separate injuries over the course of the last campaign.
At the other end of the scale, West Ham have suffered the fewest injuries causing players to miss games with two, below Fulham and Nottingham Forest, who have had four each, and Chelsea and Brentford, who are both on five.
What about the severity of the injuries?
That’s where the graphic below comes in, showing combined days lost to injuries for each Premier League club.
Brighton sit top, their 12 separate injuries amounting to a whopping 397 days lost to injuries, a statistic which makes their strong start to the season under Fabian Hurzeler even more impressive.
The Seagulls have been without Solly March all season, with new signing Matt O’Riley also missing a significant chunk of the campaign and Yankuba Minteh among the players currently sidelined.
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Ipswich are second for days lost to injuries, on 340, their problems adding to the already difficult task they face to stay in the division under Kieran McKenna, while Crystal Palace have also been badly affected.
The Eagles have lost 319 days to injuries, according to Premier Injuries, just ahead of Arsenal on 297.
Wolves are fifth, on 279, with Tottenham on 273 in sixth, ahead of Manchester City in eighth, on 243 days lost to injuries.
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Interestingly, Premier League leaders Liverpool are not far behind City having lost 228 days to injuries, with goalkeeper Alisson among their most significant absentees due to hamstring problems.
West Ham, in addition to being the least-affected side in terms of total injuries, are bottom for days lost to injuries.
Of course, the numbers do not reflect the importance of the players lost to injuries. There’s no doubting City and Arsenal have been without vital individuals. But the data shows other clubs have suffered more in terms of injury totals and days lost.
