The 2020/21 WSL season commenced just over a month ago, and Arsenal find themselves sitting pretty at the top of the table with a perfect 15 points from 5 games. They have scored a very impressive 29 goals so far this campaign, whilst conceding 4, giving them a goal difference of 25 (the next highest is just 13 from second place Everton). Domestically, Arsenal are yet to have matched up against any of Chelsea, Manchester City, or the aforementioned Everton, however their record remains admirable and puts them in a powerful position for what's to come throughout the year.
Arsenal's squad depth has already been utilised by Joe Montemurro, though not willingly. Injuries have hit the Gunners hard this season, as shown through these currently sidelined players:
Kim Little (hamstring)
Jill Roord (knee)
Steph Catley (calf)
Jordan Nobbs (hamstring)
Lisa Evans (calf)
Fran Stenson (thumb)
Leonie Maier (thigh)
Noelle Maritz (impact)
A number of those listed have been key members of Arsenal's season so far. Jill Roord earned herself a hattrick in the opening two league games against Reading and West Ham, before picking up her injury to put a sharp halt to her fine form. Captain Little and Jordan Nobbs are undisputedly two of the team's best and most consistent performers. Having all three of these players injured is bad enough, but becomes even more punishing when you realise that all three play the exact same role in the lineup. When Joe organises the side into his go-to 4-1-2-3, two of these players tend to operate as attacking midfielders, or 8s, ahead of the disciplined Lia Walti. Whilst Nobbs and Roord can also do a job out wide, this is where they are at their most dangerous.
At the same time, both summer signings Catley and Maritz have found themselves sidelined, which further demonstrates the team's luck in this area. Against Tottenham, makeshift fullbacks Katie McCabe and Viktoria Schnaderbeck performed well, with McCabe even grabbing herself a beautiful freekick goal, however, it is clear that their best positions are elsewhere.
Joe Montemurro has confirmed that there is a 'massive internal review' currently taking place regarding the ongoing injury situation. He has stated that the massive break in games and sudden restart could have had a negative effect, however all WSL clubs are in the same boat, yet Arsenal's seems to be sinking far more rapidly than others:
Chelsea: 0 currently documented injuries
Reading: 0
Bristol City: 3
Spurs: 3
West Ham United: 3
Brighton: 4
Everton: 4
Manchester City: 4
Manchester United: 5
Arsenal: 9
(Source: ShePlays WSL Injury Updates)
So what is it down to? Perhaps it is simply bad luck, perhaps we will never know. But of all these clubs, only one had a competitive fixture during the domestic break, and that team was Arsenal in a 1-2 loss against PSG in the UEFA Women's Champions League. That would suggest that Arsenal maybe were slightly more prepared for the inevitable return than those around them, although of course, every team took part in multiple pre-season friendlies.
A noted possibility for constant injury problems for the men's team was the fact that they played fast, attacking football which required more short sprints and constant movement. A number of the women's current injuries are lower-body muscle problems, which could suggest this as a reason, as they aim to play a similar way and continue to exercise the club's philosophy. This, in turn, could be a potential explanation, though it is most-certainly a long-shot. It would be silly to suggest a change of playing style to combat this; the resolution would lie more within training regimes and preparing players more for these recurring actions and movements.
Furthermore, there is a very interesting idea called the Gulliver Theory of muscular injuries. This is based on the idea that smaller players with shorter legs are more prone to muscle issues as their game involves a higher amount of lateral motion and short, quick passes followed by bursts of movement. It suggests that smaller players must constantly play to the limits of their physical capacity in order to compete against the size difference. If we take another look at the current list of sidelined first-team players, we see this height pattern:
Jordan Nobbs: 5 ft 3 in
Kim Little: 5 ft 4 in
Leonie Maier: 5 ft 4 in
Lisa Evans: 5 ft 5 in
Noelle Maritz: 5 ft 5 in
All of the above players are currently ruled out through muscular injuries, with the only exception to the rule being Steph Catley, who stands at 5 ft 7 in and is nursing a calf problem. The rough average height for current-day female footballers is around 5 ft 5 1/2 in which, when compared to the above list, perhaps proves telling in the injury crisis at Arsenal. The same logic could be applied to men's football, where Arsenal and Manchester City have been known to suffer from injury bouts throughout the years, and coincidentally, both sides play expressive, fast, and fluid attacking football, and have/had smaller players. Once again, the solution would not be to bring in taller, more physical players, as, over time, this would erase the respective footballing philosophies of the clubs, but would be to change approaches within the clubs instead.
Of course, these are just suggestions as to why Arsenal Women are currently riddled with muscular injuries. Whatever the reasons are found out to be, changes may have to be made to training regimes and recovery programmes to try and combat the issue. If the underway investigation finds conclusive data, it will be a step in the right direction towards future prevention, to allow for maximum opportunities at winning silverware with this very talented squad.
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