🔗 Share this article

Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Team News

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender 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 comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

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 recorded 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 the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Even after a major summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to dip into the January recruitment 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 important those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

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

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

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