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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Latest Squad News

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker 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 replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

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

Dowman's issue is the latest in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, 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 knee and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice intensity were to blame, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a major off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not looking to dip into the winter recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The team experienced their first defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, cutting their advantage at the top of the league to two points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would all but guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth consecutive European match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."