The Premier League ‘Sicknote’ XI

ST – Robin van Persie – Arsenal
The damning statistics:
81 Premier League appearances for Arsenal over last four seasons (averaging 20.25 appearances per season)
In 6 seasons at Arsenal, never managed more than 28 Premier League appearances in a season

The stop-start nature of van Persie’s Arsenal career inspired me to create this XI in the first place. Blessed with exceptional talent, the Dutchman’s inability to remain injury-free has been cited as one the main reasons behind Arsenal’s failure to win the league in recent seasons. The former Feyenoord man is a rare breed of forward, one equally as adept at creating chances as he is finishing them. Alas, several of van Persie’s seasons at Arsenal have been ended prematurely, having suffered from ankle ligament, hamstring and metatarsal problems.

ST – Louis Saha – Everton
The damning statistics:
120 appearances for Manchester United in four and a half seasons (averaging 26.6 starts per season)
Missed 19 Premier League games for Everton over last two seasons

Undoubtedly a fantastic finisher, Saha’s opportunity to establish himself as a truly world-class player at Manchester United was regrettably destroyed by a string of niggling injuries. Groin, hamstring and knee problems meant that Saha had a disruptive tenure at Old Trafford, with his goalscoring record of 1 in 3 hinting at what could’ve been had he managed to stay fit. Currently contracted to Everton on a pay-as-you-play deal, Saha appears to have put the worst of his injury woes behind, having managed to make 57 Premier League appearances for the Toffees over the last seasons.

ST – Fernando Torres – Liverpool
The damning statistics:
40 Premier League starts for Liverpool in last two seasons (averaging 20 starts per season)

Liverpool’s attacking impotency in the absence of Fernando Torres is testament to the ability of the Spaniard; indeed, in his 40 Premier League starts over the last two seasons, Torres managed to score a phenomenal 32 times. Regarded as one of the world’s finest centre-forwards, Torres has suffered from hamstring problems several times during his stay at Anfield, with staff and fans alike irritated by the injuries sustained by Liverpool’s number nine whilst on international duty. The latter half of last season saw Torres troubled by knee problems, problems which threatened to prevent his involvement in this summer’s upcoming World Cup.

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