Mikel Arteta Fears Injury Crisis Could Undermine Arsenal's Trophy Hunt

Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's chase for honors this season is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt 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 without players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really dangerous circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long list of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a major summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to enter the winter recruitment market.

"Right now we're just focusing on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would virtually guarantee a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight successive European match.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli stated. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."