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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Squad News

Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly 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 truly dangerous circle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a long list of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to culprit, citing a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a major off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely planning to enter the January recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, cutting their advantage at the summit of the league to two points.

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

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," he stated. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."