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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's chase for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we lack 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 vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

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

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a significant off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not looking to dip into the winter recruitment market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he said. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their first loss in 18 matches at the weekend, cutting their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League fixture.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he stated. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."