Mikel Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder Arsenal's Trophy Hunt

Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this season is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Fresh Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward added to their Champions League squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly 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 really vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long list of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to blame, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a significant off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to enter the January recruitment market.

"Right now we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he said. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group victory would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League fixture.

"We are frustrated with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he said. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."