Injuries Piling Up for Arsenal Following Sheffield Wednesday Defeat

It was, to use the manager's words, a "bad night at the office." In losing 3-0 to second-tier side Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Tuesday night, Arsenal crashed out of the Capital One Cup and halted the momentum generated from the victory over Bayern Munich exactly a week before.

But this was not the Premier League, the FA Cup or the UEFA Champions League, and Arsene Wenger's decision to rotate eight members of his starting 11 hinted at how seriously he was taking the competition.

In that sense, defeat might not have been so hurtful if not for the names added to the club's growing injury list.

First, it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who left the match in just the fifth minute with what appeared to be a hamstring problem. No more than 14 minutes later, his replacement Theo Walcott departed as well with a calf issue.

Sure, defeat stung, especially considering how Arsenal played, but the additions to the treatment table might prove more costly in the long run.

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In his comments to the media after the match, Wenger could hardly hide his worries. The details of each injury are yet unknown, but one could almost read between the lines to decipher that the Frenchman feared the worst.

"The injuries are two muscular injuries and the injury damage I do not know," Wenger said, as quoted by the club's official website. "You have to wait 48 hours for the scans to see how big the damage is. It was a bad night at the office; we lost two players and after that we were not good enough."

Not nearly good enough. Based on the evidence presented on the pitch, Sheffield Wednesday appeared to be the side from the higher division, not the Championship challengers hoping to spring an upset.

Arsenal dominated possession, but the Owls attacked efficiently and confidently, scoring three deserved goals with only four shots on target, per ESPN FC.

Four debutants featured for Arsenal on the night, including starters Alex Iwobi and Glen Kamara. Ismael Bennacer came on in the 19th minute for Walcott, and Krystian Bielik entered in the second half. But according to Wenger, the Gunners' inexperienced side still represented too much of a risk.

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"I have to manage the workload of the players, and at the end of the day, I still think I brought too many experienced players here," he added. "We lost two players. Once I lost two players, I had Gabriel and (Nacho) Monreal and I did not bring them on as we could not afford to lose any more players."

Arsenal supporters will be nodding knowingly at that last line. If the injuries to Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain are serious, the Gunners will be alarmingly light in attacking areas. 

Before Tuesday, the injury list already included forward Danny Welbeck and midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere. 

Ramsey's absence might have represented an opportunity for Oxlade-Chamberlain to stake his claim to more playing time, but now Wenger will be fearing the worst.

Walcott, meanwhile, has been enjoying a fine season playing his preferred center-forward role, coming into his own in the position and frequently pushing Olivier Giroud to the bench in recent weeks. 

Now, however, Wenger might have a selection crisis on his hands. Depending on the extent of the injuries, the Gunners might have to field a makeshift forward line. And based on the evidence from Tuesday night's embarrassing loss, the Frenchman's options are not extensive past the starting 11.

John Brewin of ESPN FC wrote:

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A lack of warm-up may well have been the root of Walcott's exit but, regardless, Wenger has an injury crisis on his hands. A summer refusal to buy beyond Cech leaves Arsenal short just when they have an easy-looking run of Premier League fixtures, as well as the chance to save their European campaign.

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Up next is a trip to Swansea, an assignment that has been anything but easy for Arsenal in recent seasons. Following that, the Gunners travel to Germany to face a Bayern Munich side that will surely be in the mood to avenge last week's Champions League loss in north London.

Just four days later, Arsenal host local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in what could be a key Premier League game for both.

Through 10 matches, the Gunners are level atop the table, but with these latest injury worries, Wenger will have a tricky task in keeping them there.