LONDON — Arsenal’s head coach Mikel Arteta has expressed concerns over the increasing trend of long-term injuries faced by several clubs, viewing it as a pending crisis due to the heightened pressures on players amidst a tight fixture schedule.

Arteta shared his distress upon witnessing Kai Havertz suffer a severe hamstring injury during a seemingly light training session in Dubai, which has sidelined the German forward for the remainder of the season.

This situation further strains Arsenal’s attacking options, with Gabriel Jesus having torn his ACL, Bukayo Saka still recovering from a hamstring problem that has kept him off the pitch since December, and fellow winger Gabriel Martinelli expected to be unavailable for a month due to another hamstring injury.

The Champions League opened this season with two additional matches per team in the initial phase, while Arsenal had an extended run in the English League Cup—only to be knocked out by Newcastle in the semifinals. Additionally, they are currently engaged in a title chase against Liverpool in the Premier League.

As if that wasn’t enough, the upcoming Club World Cup, set to take place in the United States over the summer and lasting a month, will also lengthen the timeline for numerous teams, albeit not Arsenal this year. Several players have publicly raised concerns about how the heavy match schedule impacts their performance and well-being, prompting discussions of potential legal action and possible strikes.

Arteta noted that it is no surprise to witness a spike in injury rates at Arsenal, attributing this trend to the heavier burdens placed on players and what he sees as an intensified approach in contemporary football.

“You cannot provide definitive proof, and the available evidence is rather limited and varies on a case-by-case basis; however, we know that certain injuries are linked to excessive load and minutes,” Arteta remarked. “It’s unavoidable. We have players who have faced injuries after playing 130 games over the previous two seasons. If you keep increasing the load, it’s just an accident waiting to occur.”

He further pondered, “Is this season a result of accumulated factors? Is it related to stress, chance, preparation, or methodology? Many variables are involved, making it challenging to precisely identify one aspect. The planned schedule is extraordinarily demanding, particularly for certain explosive athletes.”

Regarding Havertz’s unfortunate situation, Arteta explained that the German player sustained the injury while stretching to block a shot during a set piece, resulting in “feeling his hamstring go.”

With numerous lengthy injuries affecting Arsenal players this season—including long-term absences for Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, and Takehiro Tomiyasu—questions have arisen concerning whether Arteta’s training strategies may be a contributing factor.

In response to such inquiries, Arteta emphasized that the current squad “trains less than ever,” elaborating on how the overwhelming number of matches leads to insufficient training time, thereby affecting players’ recovery.

“The muscles become undertrained, and when you put stress on them, they cannot cope as the tendon needs a recovery period of 72 hours,” he explained. “Many people focus on external factors. It’s not just about what happens outside; it’s also about conditions inside.”

“When a muscle has been underloaded for several weeks without proper training and is then subjected to rigorous activity every three days, the likelihood of injury rises significantly. This is due to the tendon not having enough time to recover and being unprepared for the added stress.”