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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this campaign is being threatened by a concerning cycle of injuries and a grueling schedule.

Latest Team Update

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

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

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long list of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training methods were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely looking to dip into the January recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he commented. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group victory would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth consecutive Champions League match.

"The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he stated. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."