Build-up in injuries makes EPL survival of the fittest

ST's weekend football debrief

- Deepanraj Ganesan

The latest round of Premier League action saw an injury-hit Arsenal find a way past Leicester City to keep their title hopes alive, while Liverpool continued to lead the way with a hard-fought win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Here are four key talking points.

PLAYERS PUSHED TO THEIR LIMIT

We all knew this was coming, right? The fixture load, exacerbated by the European Championship and Copa America in the summer of 2024, has made it an even more physically demanding season and players have been pushed to their limit. One by one, the muscle injuries are all adding up as the season approaches its climax.

Arsenal's Kai Havertz became the latest victim after being ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. He is the third key member of Mikel Arteta's squad to suffer a hamstring issue with wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli already sidelined.

North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have had an injury-riddled season too, while there have already been 10 players with anterior cruciate ligament injuries in this season's Premier League, the most recent being Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez.

Arteta said the playing load is probably unsustainable unless they find ways to turn players into "monsters that can cope with anything".