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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 fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule.

Fresh Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Training, no because we lack 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 really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long list of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Despite a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to dip into the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "It's clear 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 summit of the Premier League to two clear points.

Focus now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would virtually secure a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League fixture.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."