Arsenal Women reflect after being hit by fourth ACL injury of the season

Arsenal are going through a very difficult season. At the end of April they reported their third cruciate ligament tear, that of Leah Williamson, and this Thursday they announced their fourth. Laura Wienroither is the latest victim of a problem that affects more women than men (via CAMDE, by Dr Vicente de la Varga). Bad luck has befallen one of Europe's strongest clubs, eliminated from the continental tournament and with no chance in the regular competition.

Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema were injured in November and December respectively. They are two players who have had a major role in both their team and their national teams. The former was the individual star of Euro 2022 and finished second in The Best behind Alexia Putellas, while the Dutchwoman scored a record eight goals at the Olympics and is the Netherlands' leading player.

Jonas Eidevall, the Gunners' coach, appeared at a press conference to discuss the difficult situation. He called it "a tragedy" and said they are "saddened" by what has happened. He acknowledged that it "doesn't change" the way they were looking at the problem and insisted on the idea of "improving for the future". Of course, they will do everything they can to get Laura back to play "as safely and quickly as possible". She will be in the dry dock for about ten months.

Support throughout the whole process

"The most important thing is that the player feels supported, that we give her all the medical and mental support. I think a lot of times, with long-term injuries, it's about continuing to give them that support all the time, not just the first few days, but for them to feel cared for and supported by the whole recovery team. And our medical team is doing a fantastic job with her," Eidevall also told the press.

Finally, he referred to the fact that there is "no single answer" to how to resolve the issue because it involves so many variables. "We have to look at the whole picture to see what factors we can control, what we can learn and what we can do better," said the coach, who spoke of the demands of the calendar - at club and national team level. "There are things where we need external cooperation," and he gave as an example just that.