Three stats expose true impact one Arsenal injury has had on Premier League title race

Arsenal can move seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League on Wednesday evening with victory at Wolves

Arsenal’s ambitious four-pronged pursuit of silverware this season has not come without injury struggles.

Speaking during Tuesday’s press conference ahead of the Premier League trip to Wolves, Mikel Arteta raised concerns about the number of players that had picked up fitness issues during pre-match warm-ups.

At this stage of the season, the Spaniard is understandably conscious of the impact marginal gains could yet have upon the title race as Manchester City continue to breathe down the Gunners’ neck.

Injuries are a natural consequence of the relentless and unforgiving schedule but defender Riccardo Calafiori has twice pulled up before matches – once against Brighton back in December and more recently ahead of last Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round demolition of Wigan – after being named in the starting XI.

As per Arteta, Calafiori is expected to be available to face Wolves at Molineux despite his latest scare but long-term; it’s imperative that Arsenal keep the Italy international full-back fit as the underlying numbers highlight both his importance and influence upon this title-chasing side.

Last season, Myles Lewis-Skelly dethroned the former Bologna starlet to become Arsenal’s undisputed first-choice left-back but this term, the tables have turned and Piero Hincapie has been the strongest competitor for Calafiori’s jersey.

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Outside of serving a one-match suspension against Wolves in the reverse fixture, the Italian started 16 of Arsenal’s opening 17 Premier League games, respectively.

Beyond that, a muscle issue saw him sidelined for the next six top-flight matches and since the gritty 1-0 victory at Everton in December, he has started just one Premier League outing (3-0 victory over Sunderland).

Dig a little deeper and it’s clear to see that Calafiori is integral to the Gunners’ defensive solidity. While the Premier League leaders average more goals per match when Hincapie has started at left-back (two scored per game compared to 1.82 with Calafiori), they’re a tighter unit with the 23-year-old in the XI.

In the 17 top-flight games where Calafiori has featured from the get-go, they have a win ratio of 70 per cent, have conceded just six times (0.35 goals per game) and have kept 10 clean sheets (0.58 per match).

Meanwhile, in the seven matches Hincapie has started at left-back – he has also featured at centre-back – Arsenal have a Premier League win percentage of 57 per cent, have shipped seven goals (one per game) and additionally, they have kept just two clean sheets (0.28 per match).

Those numbers are not presented to discredit the Ecuador international, whose versatility has been a major asset for Arteta following his initial loan transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, but Arsenal have evidently achieved better top-flight results when their first-choice left-back is on duty.

Calafiori has lacked rhythm since returning from the muscular problem he suffered just after Christmas pre-Brighton and so far, his body is yet to get back up to speed with the intensity levels he displayed earlier in the season when he banked Arsenal’s Player of the Month award in August.

Arteta and the club’s medical staff have to find a way to get Calafiori firing again and the player will also be desperate to hit form ahead of his nation’s World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland in late March.

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