Arteta considers scrapping long-standing football tradition to combat injury problems

Arsenal have had four instances of players getting injured during warm-ups, and manager Mikel Arteta has admitted concern. He said that they were evaluating their warm-up procedure and could even consider scrapping it altogether.

Arsenal are on course for an unprecedented quadruple this season, and they have had to contend with injuries while competing. While extended layoffs for the likes of Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, etc., have caused sufficient headaches at different points of the season, Arteta has also had to make emergency changes to his starting line-up on four occasions this season.

• William Saliba: Rolled his ankle during the warm-up ahead of their clash against Liverpool.

• Bukayo Saka: Pulled out of the starting lineup against Leeds United in February after feeling an issue.

• Riccardo Calafiori: Withdrew from the starting XI twice due to warm-up issues, first ahead of the Premier League match against Brighton in December with a muscular problem, and again before the FA Cup tie against Wigan in February.

Ahead of their midweek Premier League clash against Wolves, Arteta was asked about their recurring injury problems during pre-match warm-ups. The Basque manager acknowledged the problem and said that they were evaluating solutions.

"Yeah, yeah, big time. They were very different. The first one was Willy when he rolled his ankle against Liverpool. Then we had two incidents with Riccy in the warmup in a really similar way,” he said, per Goal.

"The other one was Bukayo; after he rested in midweek, he didn't play against Kairat, and then against Leeds, he gets an injury. Very unusual. Probably happened once or twice in six years I have been here and it happened four times there.

"So obviously we are looking at it. On Willy's one, very difficult to see. Sometimes as well, you want to try and test a player before to see if they are ready and the warm-up is another opportunity to do it. Bukayo's is very random because he never gave any symptoms or signals away that this could happen in the warm-up. It is what it is; we have to learn."

Asked whether they could do away with warm-up altogether, he suggested that they were considering it, while highlighting possible drawbacks.

"I was a player as well, and we like certain routines, and that's the way you tell your body, 'it is coming, it is coming, it is coming.’ To change that sometimes is tricky. ‘

“It is a really good area to have a look. What would happen if we don't do the warmup? Because then, at half-time, we go and sit almost for 15 minutes and then go full gas in the second half. Maybe it is something to think about."