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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Latest Team Update

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge 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 Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.

"Training, 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 consequence to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term 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 boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not planning to enter the winter transfer market.

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

Looking Ahead

The squad suffered their initial defeat in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the league to two clear points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth consecutive European fixture.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli stated. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."