Arsenal: Danny Welbeck just can’t catch a break

Danny Welbeck limped off in Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Sunday and is now facing a lengthy absence. The oft-injured striker just can’t catch a break.

A key aspect of Arsenal’s surprisingly stifling performance against Chelsea on Sunday, was the willingness of Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi, as the two wide players either side of Alexandre Lacazette, to press up on Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill when necessary and drop deep and form a midfield four with Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey at other points in the game.

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What they did not allow was easy possession. They worked hard to shut down the space, remained disciplined in their positioning, and allowed Ramsey and Xhaka to sit a little deeper, protecting the back three, something that has not happened away from home against the big sides in recent years.

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And Welbeck, other than a misguided header midway through the first half that he should have done better with, again exposing his issues as a wasteful finisher in front of goal, was extremely impressive in attacking areas also. He was able to run the wide channel, exploiting the more advanced positioning of Victor Moses, and linked with up Ramsey especially well throughout.

But in true Welbeck fashion, as the game entered the closing stages, he was forced to exit proceedings. Alexis Sanchez tried to feed a pass in behind David Luiz for Welbeck to run onto. As the Brazilian tracked back and challenged for the ball, with Welbeck looking to surge away, their legs became entangled and the Arsenal attacker immediately fell to the ground, clutching his upper leg in and around the groin area. The early signs did not look good.

After the game, Arsene Wenger was asked about Welbeck’s injury and he admitted that it is a groin strain but that a diagnosis will not yet be known until the sufficient scans are completed and assessed.

However, there are reports that Welbeck is set to miss a significant period of the upcoming schedule thanks to his latest issue. And it is now just another in a long and growing list of injuries. He did not feature for eight months during last season with a knee issue from the previous year and has consistently struggled with getting staying fit since making the North London switch in 2014.

And that is the most frustrating thing. Welbeck is a very talented player. He is a versatile, athletic, intelligent attacker who can play in several positions; he is extremely useful to have in the squad. But he is unavailable more than he is available and it is becoming a major issue. He simply cannot catch a break.

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It is always sad to see players persistently struggle with injuries. There is no element of control or blame. It is sheer bad luck. Welbeck is at the heart of that bad luck. Let’s hope that his latest problem is not as bad as feared and does not keep him absent for any extended period.