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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Latest Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to Belgium due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But clearly 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 truly dangerous circle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive 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 Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

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

Arteta rejected the idea that training methods were to blame, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a major summer spend over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to enter the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and with luck it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their initial loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their lead at the summit of the league to two points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group victory would all but secure a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive European match.

"The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."