🔗 Share this article

Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a concerning circle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly dangerous cycle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to culprit, citing a lack of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant summer investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely planning to dip into the January recruitment market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of a short time," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their initial loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the top of the league to two points.

Focus now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would all but secure a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight successive Champions League match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."