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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's pursuit for titles this campaign is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Team Update

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

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

"Practice, no because we don't have 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 truly dangerous circle."

Dowman's issue 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-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

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

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

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their initial loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group win would virtually secure a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League fixture.

"We are frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."