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

Fresh Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury.

"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 consequence to that and it's a really vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive list of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that training intensity were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for drills. He highlighted the pressure on fit 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 club is unlikely planning to enter the January recruitment market.

"Right now we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the summit of the league to two clear points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group win would virtually secure a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive European fixture.

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," he said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."