Arsene Wenger putting his faith in recovery methods ahead of hectic week
Arsene Wenger's Arsenal face a busy week of football.
Arsene Wenger will put his faith in modern-day recovery methods to prepare his Arsenal players for a busy week - even though he does not trust them.
The Gunners take on West Brom on Monday night before travelling nearly 1,500 miles to take on BATE Borisov in the Europa League on Thursday.
Add to that a midday kick-off against Brighton the following Sunday and Wenger's squad will be pushed to their limits.
The Frenchman pointed to broadcast obligations as the cause of playing three times in seven days.
Asked to explain how Arsenal ended up playing on Monday despite a European fixture three days later, Wenger said: "By television decisions.
"Television decides when you play and that's what you have to do. Where it becomes more difficult is because we play Sunday morning after.
"I think from last night (Wednesday's Carabao Cup win over Doncaster) until Monday we have enough time to prepare. After that from Monday to Thursday it will be short.
"Especially from Thursday to Sunday. But you have to adapt. Maybe we have to make some decisions in BATE Borisov that will give us a chance to recover between the two games."
While modern science has presented many new ways of treating players and keeping them fit, Wenger has questioned just how much of an impact they actually have.
"They have warm-downs," he said.
"They have all that. But everybody does nowadays. Treatment with the physios, massage, cryotherapy, all the stuff where nobody knows whether it is efficient or not.
"No-one knows because you have a lot of science. If you read the science, some have proved that it works and some have proved that it doesn't work.
"The ones that prove that it works are usually sponsored by the guys who say that it does."
Asked if it was a case of these treatments being a case of smoke and mirrors, Wenger added: "Yes. Because at the end of the day, since I've been in the job we have improved a lot the medical treatment. A lot.
"But still if you have a musical problem it takes 21 days. It took 21 days 30 years ago. They have to respect nature and nobody could make miracles unless they dope players sometimes. That means they inject players for a big game and the guy players with an injury with anti-pain (injections)."
Wenger will be hoping his medical department have helped Mesut Ozil recover from a knee injury to feature against the Baggies in Monday's Premier League meeting.
Theo Walcott should also be fit despite limping off after scoring the only goal in the win over Doncaster but Danny Welbeck, Francis Coquelin and Calum Chambers are definitely missing.
