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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot 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 knock-on effect to that and it's a really dangerous circle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training intensity were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a major summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to enter the winter recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he said. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, cutting their lead at the summit of the league to two clear points.

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

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he said. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."