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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Team Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly 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 really vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

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

Arteta rejected the idea that practice intensity were to blame, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a major summer investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not planning to enter the January transfer market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he commented. "We know how crucial those 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 top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make history by scoring in a fifth consecutive European fixture.

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