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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's chase for titles this campaign is being threatened by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

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Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle problem.

"Training, 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 really vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent 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-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

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

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Despite a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely planning to enter the January transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of a short time," he commented. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

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

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth consecutive European fixture.

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