Wenger puts faith in science as Gunners face hectic week
ARSENAL V WEST BROM
8pm
The Gunners take on West Brom tonight before travelling nearly 1,500 miles to take on BATE Borisov in the Europa League on Thursday.
Add to that a midday kick-off against Brighton the following Sunday and Wenger’s squad will be pushed to their limits.
The Frenchman pointed to broadcast obligations as the cause of playing three times in seven days.
Asked to explain how Arsenal ended up playing on Monday despite a European fixture three days later, Wenger said: “By television decisions.
“Television decides when you play and that’s what you have to do. Where it becomes more difficult is because we play Sunday morning after.
“I think we have enough time to prepare. After that from Monday to Thursday it will be short.
“Especially from Thursday to Sunday. But you have to adapt. Maybe we have to make some decisions in BATE Borisov that will give us a chance to recover between the two games.”
While modern science has presented many new ways of treating players and keeping them fit, Wenger has questioned just how much of an impact they actually have.
“They have warm-downs,” he said.
“They have all that. But everybody does nowadays. Treatment with the physios, massage, cryotherapy, all the stuff where nobody knows whether it is efficient or not.
“No-one knows because you have a lot of science. If you read the science, some have proved that it works and some have proved that it doesn’t work.
“The ones that prove that it works are usually sponsored by the guys who say that it does.”
Asked if it was a case of these treatments being a case of smoke and mirrors, Wenger added: “Yes. Because at the end of the day, since I’ve been in the job we have improved a lot the medical treatment. A lot.
“But still if you have a medical problem it takes 21 days. It took 21 days 30 years ago. They have to respect nature and nobody could make miracles unless they dope players sometimes. That means they inject players for a big game and the guy plays with an injury with anti-pain (injections).”
Wenger will be hoping his medical department have helped Mesut Ozil recover from a knee injury to feature against the Baggies tonight.
Theo Walcott should also be fit despite limping off after scoring the only goal in the win over Doncaster but Danny Welbeck, Francis Coquelin, and Calum Chambers are definitely missing.
Gareth Barry should break the Premier League appearance record tonight, and feels he could play on until he is 40.
The 36-year-old will play in his 633rd top-flight game if he turns out for the Baggies.
It will eclipse Ryan Giggs’ mark which the winger set exclusively with Manchester United, although the Welshman made 672 top-flight appearances for United.
Barry signed for Albion from Everton in the summer. He has a year’s option on the initial 12-month deal he signed and sees himself playing on for longer until he’s 40.
“It’s definitely a possibility. I was 32 when I signed for Everton and (the manager) Roberto Martinez said, ‘You’re style of game — you can play until you’re 40’,” he said.
“I’m sitting there laughing at him, but he was deadly serious, and I still laughed. It’s still going to be tough, but for a manager to tell me that four to five years ago is a good compliment, which was nice to hear.
“I’m immensely proud to get there. Whether it will stay around for long I don’t know.”
