🔗 Share this article

Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for titles this campaign is being threatened by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward added 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 dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long list of fitness problems for the club. Since the start 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 return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Despite a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to enter the winter transfer market.

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

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the summit of the Premier 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 Champions League fixture.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," he stated. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."