Mikel Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Undermine Arsenal's Silverware Quest

Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's chase for titles this campaign is being threatened by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Latest Squad News

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

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury.

"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 really vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to enter the January recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group-stage victory would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive European match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."