Arsenal have currently been hit with a huge injury crisis, so the international break couldn’t have come at a better time for manager Arsene Wenger.

The Gunners boss has expressed his bewilderment in regards to the ever growing injury list, but as the boss he must find a way to get his squad back on track even with the loss of several first-team members.

With four less complicated league fixtures starting with Hull at the Emirates coming Wenger’s way, here are FIVE PROBLEMS Arsenal must fix before it’s too late.

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Prepare well for ‘easier’ run of fixtures

Although Arsenal didn’t have the best starts to the season – only in the 2010-2011 campaign did they garner less points under Wenger – the Gunners did however face a tough run of fixtures that finally ended in their 2-0 loss away to league leaders Chelsea.

On the way they managed to tie champions Manchester City (2-2), drew against North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur (1-1), and managed to come back from two goals down to finish the game 2-2 against Everton.

Now Wenger and his side face Hull (H), Sunderland (A), Burnley (H), and Swansea (A) in their next four games and if the Gunners manage to come out of that run with at least nine points, it would relieve a huge amount of pressure on the manager and his injury stricken squad.

The Gunners, despite their injury concerns, are still a class above their upcoming opponents when playing to maximum capacity.

Solving their injury crisis

If you look at Arsenal’s injury list, it is entirely possible to build a complete squad around their crocked players.

These include Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil, Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott, Mathieu Debuchy, and Aaron Ramsey… all regulars in the first eleven.

We do not know whether it is their training regime or just plain bad luck, but moving forward if the Gunners really want to compete for the Premier League title they must find a way to change their methods.

What makes matters worse is that the Gunners do not have much depth, apart from attacking midfield, in which they have an over-abundance of talent.

Shoring up the back-line

Arsenal haven’t been themselves of late, as the Gunners usually start quite well early in the season but trail off the pack after Christmas.

This time however, the Gunners have been slow out of the blocks and currently sit 8th after the first seven fixtures.

One of the main reasons they’re at this position is their back-line. While not conceding significantly more goals than the teams above them, Wenger’s defence tends to lose a goal while in the lead… which ultimately costs them two points.

Arsenal have drawn four games out of the seven (only Sunderland have more) and if they want to even return to a Champions League position they must avoid conceding these equalizers.

Getting the most out of Alexis Sanchez

With Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil out for several weeks, the impetus for attacking penetration and ultimately goals will fall into the tricky feet of Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean superstar has found it difficult during his first few months in London, but despite this he already has five goals to his name in 11 appearances in all competitions.

Sanchez is an explosive player and his pace can trouble any defence, so Wenger should be looking to build the team around his talents rather than have Sanchez fit into a possession strategy.

With Danny Welbeck also a threat with his pace, a change in tactics could do the Gunners good especially with the injuries to their midfielders.

Right-Back

While there are several replacements for the injured midfield crop, Wenger needs to find a solution for right-back with Mathieu Debuchy sidelined and Calum Chambers suspended after the young Englishman collected his fifth league yellow card this season.

Arsene Wenger could go with Nacho Monreal on the right, but as the Spaniard is naturally a left-back, Monreal may have trouble against Hull City’s marauding left-wing-back Andrew Robertson.

Therefore youngster Hector Bellerin, whose only game this campaign is against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League, may be asked by Wenger to fill right-back role for the night.