Arsene Wenger Comes Under Fire After More Injuries and Dropped Points at Norwich

For Arsenal, this was a draw that felt like a defeat. The Gunners dropped two points in the 1-1 draw at Carrow Road, but the implications of this result feel far greater. Arsene Wenger’s men travelled to Norwich hoping to reassert their title credentials. However, they came away with yet more injuries and uncertainty. As the casualties mount, the fans' glare is turning towards the manager.

All season long, Arsenal have faced the question of whether or not they would suffer a blip. There now seems to be an answer: they have won just two of the last seven games.

After the draw at home to rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal fans consoled themselves with the knowledge that they had four seemingly winnable games ahead against West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City, Sunderland and Aston Villa. The first two of those games have yielded just one out of an available six points.

Arsenal are still within touching distance at the top of the Premier League table. However, they will know they ought to be in a far stronger position. As their form has waned, the likes of Manchester United, Spurs and Everton have been able to gain ground on the Gunners. The table is compressing, and what looked like a two-horse race has become a free-for-fall.

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When examining the reasons for Arsenal’s stumble, it’s impossible to look past their problems keeping players fit. It looks as if Arsenal’s title charge is slowing to a stagger due to the sheer number of injuries they’re accumulating. At Carrow Road, the influential trio of Laurent Koscielny, Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla all joined the list of patients for the physiotherapy team. It cannot be down to mere misfortune.

It seems like a perennial issue at Arsenal, whose squad is now stretched to breaking point. The problem becomes cumulative—injuries force Wenger to overplay the first-team stars who remain fit, thus rendering them susceptible to pulling up themselves. It’s a vicious cycle from which the Gunners are yet to escape. Wenger spoke openly about Alexis requiring a rest, but he still opted to field the Chilean. In light of that decision, criticism is inevitable.

Last time out at West Brom, they lost the services of Francis Coquelin to a knee problem. His aggressive approach to the defensive-midfield role was hugely missed against Norwich, as Arsenal struggled to get a real foothold against Alex Neil’s men. Wenger's decision to enter the season without signing cover and competition for Coquelin looks more problematic with each passing day.

According to stats service Opta, Arsenal have now collected two fewer points than in the equivalent fixtures last season. The assessment that the Gunners had made progress this season may have been premature.

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Speaking to Arsenal.com, a defiant Wenger defended the recent run. He said:

"

We have to go through that spell. We had a bad spell of a few games now with Tottenham, West Brom and today we only have taken two points but we are still not far and going through a bad spell and not being far. It is not enough but at least we have an opportunity to come back.

"

He’s right in one respect. There is a long way to go and plenty of time for Arsenal to recover their form and position at the summit of the Premier League table.

However, they must turn things around quickly. The second half of the fixture list looks more daunting than the first for the Gunners, so it’s vital they accumulate as many points as possible before the New Year.

If they’re not careful, this spell could soon transform from a fleeting blip to a horribly familiar slide out of title contention. Wenger has been relatively free of criticism thus far this season, but if this slide continues, that situation could quickly change.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.