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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Team News

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

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start 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 still recover from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to blame, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a major summer investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not looking to dip into the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing 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."

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group victory would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight successive European match.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."