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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Team Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

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

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list of injuries for the club. 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 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 training methods were to culprit, citing a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely looking to enter the January recruitment 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 said. "It's clear how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the top of the league to two points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group victory would virtually secure a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth successive European match.

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."