Three Times Injuries Derailed Arsenal's Title Challenges

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In the ever-competitive world of Premier League football, injuries can swiftly alter the trajectory of a team's season. And when one is in battle with Pep Guardiola-led Manchester City, injuries are the last thing anyone needs. Unfortunately for the Gunners, they have just suffered, perhaps, the biggest of them all, in the form of captain Martin Odegaard.

The dynamic playmaker is arguably the cornerstone of Mikel Arteta's side. However, the former Real Madrid man suffered a knock to his right ankle during his country's recent Nations League 2-1 victory over Austria, a game in which compatriot and City talisman Erling Haaland netted a brilliant late winner. And the absence of the Gunners skipper couldn't have come at a worse time.

The Emirates outfit is set to contest the top-of-the-table six-pointer against the reigning champions at the Etihad. If that wasn't bad enough, Odegaard will also miss Arsenal's early season UEFA Champions League clashes against reigning Europa League champions Atalanta and French giants Paris Saint-Germain. The bookies seemingly don't consider their injury too disastrous, however, with the Bovada sports gambling website still making Arsenal a +200 contender for the title, the same as they were before their captain's injury.

But there can be no denying that the 25-year-old's leadership and creativity will be sorely missed, despite what the bookies think, echoing the challenges Arsenal faced in previous seasons.

Here are three other disastrous injuries that hindered a Gunners title challenge.

Gabriel Jesus

One such pivotal injury occurred during the 2022/23 season when Gabriel Jesus, a summer signing expected to bolster Arsenal's attack, suffered a serious knee injury. The Gunners had longed for a game-changing striker since the departure of Thierry Henry to Barcelona back in 2007, and the Brazilian was supposed to be that man. The likes of Olivier Giroud, Alexandre Lacazette, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had all tried to replace the maverick Frenchman, and they did their utmost, but none of them was able to transform the Gunners into genuine title contenders.

Jesus came in from Manchester City and immediately hit the ground running. He netted five goals in his first eight games and despite not scoring throughout October and November, he was a crucial cog that made Mikel Arteta's side tick. His pressing from the front was crucial to his team's game plan, but those plans were in the mud during the festive period when he suffered an injury that not only disrupted the team's offensive rhythm but also put a significant dent in their title aspirations.

Jesus had been instrumental in Arsenal's positive start that season, providing a new dimension to their forward play with his agility and finishing prowess. His injury forced manager Mikel Arteta to reshuffle his attacking options, relying more heavily on inexperienced players such as Eddie Nketiah. As a result, Arsenal's form dipped in crucial fixtures such as a 3-1 home defeat to title rivals Manchester City, causing them to lose ground in the title race.

Eduardo

Looking further back, the 2007/08 season was notably marred by Eduardo da Silva's horrific leg injury. Heading to a February clash against Birmingham City at St Andrew's, Arsene Wenger's young guns were five points clear at the summit of the Premier League. However, their Croatian hitman was crocked by a horrifying two-footed lunge by Blues defender Martin Taylor, suffering a gruesome compound fracture to his left fibula and an open dislocation of his ankle.

The Gunners would go on to throw away a 2-1 lead against the ten men, conceding a 95th-minute James McFadden penalty. And from there, the wheels well and truly came off. Arsenal drew their next three games, losing top spot in the title race to Manchester United, and they never recovered. They lost a crunch clash away at Chelsea courtesy of a late double from Didier Drogba, and that was pretty much all she wrote.

At the point of the former Dinamo Zagreb man's injury, Arsenal was leading the Premier League and looking set to push Manchester United for the title. But the Croatian's injury had a profound psychological impact on the team. The Gunners' attacking fluidity, which had been their hallmark that season, was severely affected, and they ultimately finished four points behind the eventual champions from Old Trafford.

Mesut Ozil

In the 2013/14 season, Arsenal's title challenge was once again derailed by a significant injury, this time to their playmaker, Mesut Özil. The German international had been a revelation since joining the club from Real Madrid for £42.5m at the start of the campaign, providing four goals and eight assists throughout the campaign.

Despite a 5-1 drubbing away at Liverpool and a goalless draw against Manchester United, the Gunners were just one point adrift of league leaders Chelsea when Ozil suffered a hamstring injury during a critical period of the campaign. Before his injury, the German international had been pivotal in orchestrating his side's attack, with his vision and passing ability opening up defenses across the league. Without him, Arsenal's creativity suffered, and their results reflected this downturn.

Arsenal did beat Spurs in the North London Derby without their talisman however, they then went four games without a win, including a 6-0 thumping away at Chelsea and a 3-0 win away at Everton. That ended the title hopes of Wenger's side and to compound their misery, they went on to win their final four games of the season when Ozil returned to the team. What could have been?

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