Mikel Arteta facing new Arsenal problem as chronic issues in title race laid bare

Arsenal rank among the highest in the when it comes to clubs affected by injuries this term, official statistics have confirmed.

The Gunners have managed to re-establish themselves as title contenders under the stewardship of and were to end 's spell of domestic dominance after coming close to doing so last year.

However, Arteta's men went into the international break some nine points behind league leaders . And injuries .

Data supplied by Premier Injuries to Sky Sports have revealed that officially rank fourth in the Premier League this season for days lost by players to injury.

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Their total number stands at a staggering 297 days after suffering a number of setbacks during international breaks, with their most recent one coming last week in the form of .

Five players have sustained injuries while representing their country this term, missing 22 games in the process. Club captain has been Arsenal's most significant absentee this term; the Norway midfielder was sidelined for 12 games after .

, , and Riccardo Calafiori have also been struck down whilst on international duty and missed game time, while the club will now be waiting for a prognosis on Trossard.

Do you think Arsenal can still win the league?

Intriguingly, Arsenal's injuries are a new problem for Arteta to contend with. In their previous title challenges over the past two years, the Gunners have been more fortunate.

Last season Arsenal had the seventh-best record in the Premier League after losing just 898 days to injury across the season. The year prior to that, Arteta was able to name an unchanged team on 13 occasions - more than any other team in the league - due to their good fortune on the fitness front.

Arteta stressed the impact injuries have had on Arsenal earlier this month, saying to Sky Sports: “You could see everything was flowing but again it is about winning.

“We have a clear vision of how we can evolve the team. What we find out is that we have to change something big because we have problem after problem. My biggest fear is physically to get players at their best for 90 minutes. With that I'm fully confident we will have a good season.”

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