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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's chase for titles this season is being threatened by a concerning circle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But obviously 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 vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive series of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta rejected the idea that training methods were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely looking to enter the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how important those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their lead at the summit of the league to two clear points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would all but secure a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth successive European fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," he stated. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."