Arsène Wenger has long been ahead of the curve on having his players take excellent care of their bodies.
"It’s quite amazing because football is like a fast train on the evolution side, which forces the players to adapt to the evolution," said Wenger. "Some players can cope with that and some cannot. Those who cannot cope get off the train and stay in the station and the train goes on without them. We are in a period now where in the last five or six years the physical evolution has been absolutely tremendous.
"When evolution comes in, it always forces the players to adapt and to find the response to the new situation. The response to a higher physical level is of course a higher technical level, because you have to respond to more pressure with more technical ability. That makes the whole game always go up – but not everybody can cope with the evolution. That’s where some players get out of the Premier League or the top level, because the train goes too fast for them."
The average age of Arsenal's first-team this season is approximately 26, with a range of ages from 17 to 33.
Wenger believes the optimum age of a Premier League squad should be between 23 and 30.
"I would say the players are the most efficient between those ages. It takes you four or five years to really learn the job, not to be caught doing stupid things and to have an average consistency in your performances. Then at 30, sometimes your body lets you down a little bit, so between those ages is the peak."