🔗 Share this article

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

Latest Team News

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

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle problem.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Plans

Even after a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to enter the January recruitment market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a question of a short time," he commented. "It's clear how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group-stage victory would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League fixture.

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."