🔗 Share this article Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder The Gunners' Silverware Hunt Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule. Fresh Team News Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to face Club Brugge due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines. 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 don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly vicious circle." Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the Premier League. Long-Term Absentees Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the manager. Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years. Transfer Strategy Even after a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to enter the winter recruitment market. "At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be." Looking Ahead The squad experienced their first defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two clear points. Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would virtually guarantee a top-eight place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive European match. "The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."