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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

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

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

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list 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 Premier League.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Even after a major off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely looking to enter the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their initial loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth straight successive Champions League match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."