Arsene Wenger defends training methods after criticism over Arsenal injury crisis

Wenger's training has attracted criticism from outside the club over the number of injuries sustaine

ARSENE WENGER has hit back at fresh criticism of Arsenal's training methods in the wake of their ever-increasing injury list.

 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Theo Walcott (calf) became the latest casualties when they limped off in Tuesday's nightmare Capital One Cup humbling at Sheffield Wednesday.

It now means Arsenal have eight players crocked for tomorrow's trip to Arsenal and for next week's crunch Champions League trip to Bayern Munich.

Dutch fitness expert Raymond Verheijen attacked Wenger's outdated training regime while former Arsenal player Paul Merson blamed the players for not warming up sufficiently.

But Wenger said: "I don’t know. This guy looks like he knows absolutely everything. 

"I'm amazed that he knows more than all our physics and all our doctors. 

"I trust my medical staff to do well and my coaching staff to do the fitness planning very well.

 

Theo Walcott became the eighth Arsenal player on the injured list this week

"I can only invite you one day to see what work is done behind and we have some players who are more injury prone than others , but we are very well organised on that front."

The double injury blow comes just a week after Aaron Ramsey was left crocked. And with long-term victims Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky out until Christmas, Arsenal's title bid is in danger of coming off the rails.

Arsenal are stretched but Wenger insists his side can cope, adding: "It is always disappointing to lose players.

 

"But we are equipped first of all with the quality of our squad and we are equipped mentally as well ourselves to deal with anything. We have a very big squad."

Wenger is set to turn to the likes of Joel Campbell in Wales as he threw down the gauntlet to his fringe stars to step up.

He added: "It is a challenge for me and for the players who come in to show their quality. 

"At the end you can find yourself with a bigger squad. That is what happened with Coquelin and Bellerin last season."