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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Latest Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury.

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a extensive series of injuries for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not planning to dip into the winter recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group win would all but guarantee a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," he said. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."