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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this campaign is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Team News

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

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

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

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive list of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

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

Transfer Plans

Despite a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely planning to dip into the January recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he commented. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two clear points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."