🔗 Share this article Mikel Arteta Fears Fitness Crisis Could Hinder Arsenal's Trophy Quest Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for titles this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule. Latest Team Update Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek 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 added to their Champions League 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 without players, you are loading 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 list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League. Extended Absentees Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "requires more time," according to the boss. Arteta rejected the suggestion that training intensity were to culprit, citing a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons. Transfer Plans Despite a significant off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not looking to dip into the January transfer market. "At the moment we're just focusing on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be." Looking Ahead The team experienced their initial defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the summit of the league to two points. Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group-stage victory would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth successive European match. "We are frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," he said. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."