Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Undermine The Gunners' Trophy Hunt

Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

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Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury.

"Training, no because we lack 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 dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Plans

Even after a significant summer investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely planning 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. "We know how important those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their initial defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage victory would virtually guarantee a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth straight successive Champions League match.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "It's not like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."