Mikel Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder The Gunners' Trophy Hunt

Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule.

Latest Team Update

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, citing a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a major summer investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not looking to enter the January transfer 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. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their initial defeat in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the league to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would all but secure a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive European fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."