Abou Diaby has claimed that some of Arsenal's rivals are "disgraceful" in attempting to kick his team-mates out of matches with an excessively aggressive approach.
Bacary Sagna was fortunate not to join the Gunners' lengthy injury list after a late knee-high challenge from George Boateng earned the Hull midfielder a red card in Saturday's 2-1 win at the KC Stadium.
Diaby is one of four Arsenal players to have broken his leg since 2006, when he also dislocated an ankle in a match at Sunderland, although Samir Nasri's injury came in pre-season training, ironically in a tackle with his fellow Frenchman.
Manager Arsene Wenger has claimed his side are targeted by opposing teams who cannot match the Gunners' technical skill and Diaby said: "I don't think we always get enough protection.
"The way some teams play against us is disgraceful, in my opinion, and they can sometimes take advantage of this lack of protection and go in hard on us – which is why these bad things continue to happen.
"In the last couple of years, teams have tried to intimidate us by playing very strongly, kicking us and things like that.
"But how far can this kind of thing go? We've seen three cases of this in the last four years – me, Eduardo and Aaron.
"We know English football has a lot of physical engagement and that's part of the game – and we know that nobody goes in with the intent of injuring a fellow player, but when people are breaking their legs like this it is too much."
Arsenal lie just two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United and appear to have the easier fixture schedule but Diaby added: "People say we have a good run-in but you can lose or draw against anybody on a given day.
"We have eight games left and the best way through is to make sure we win each one."
