Wenger puts fearless face on Arsenal injury crisis

Manager Arsene Wenger fears Alexis Sanchez is playing down a hamstring injury that he suffered in Arsenal's draw at Norwich City.

The Christmas period is one of the most hectic parts of the English season, and Arsenal have nine of their best players in the infirmary.

Meanwhile, Koscielny was still in obvious pain as the squad departed Carrow Road to head to the airport as Wenger, who also lost Kieran Gibbs to a calf problem before the game, gave a negative prognosis on Cazorla's knock. I am glad you (the media) are anxious for us.

"How bad it is I do not know, we will have to see in the morning".

Forward, Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny were forced off the game following an injury, with Santi Cazorla also taking a blow to his knee. He barely managed to get any rest after that, when he was thrown into the mix of the domestic season, playing nearly every game in the Premier League and in the Champions League.

"After the game Wenger said he had a slight issue with Olivier Giroud and Hector Bellerin but Sanchez is the most important player of the three and should have been brought off when the game was dead".

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry is among those to have questioned Wenger's choice to not reduce the workload placed upon arguably the club's most influential player, yet his fellow Frenchman insists that the media do not dictate team selection in such circumstances. Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott, Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta are now on the treatment table.

"We played against a Norwich side that was at the top level physically and focused".

"We have three injuries", Wenger told Sky Sports. He featured throughout Arsenal's win over Dinamo Zagreb in midweek, even though the Gunners were comfortably 3-0 in front with 20 minutes to go.

Norwich caused a few problems with some early set-pieces and Ozil should have opened the scoring for Arsenal when he was picked out in the box by Nacho Monreal.

"But I think you nearly don't have to ask him anything if you want to rest him".

The Spanish striker did not look a happy soul when, late on, he realised he was not going to be brought on as a substitute and, turning his back on the bench, tossed his warm-up bib behind him in disgust.