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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for titles this season is being threatened by a concerning cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad News

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly dangerous circle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest 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 recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to blame, citing a shortage of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

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

"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question 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 loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

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

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."