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

Fresh Team Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their Champions League squad. He replaces 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 missing 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 most recent in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not planning to enter the January recruitment market.

"Right now we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he said. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their initial loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the summit of the league to two points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group victory would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth straight successive Champions League fixture.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he said. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."