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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule.

Latest Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their Champions League squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle 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 knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice intensity were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Despite a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to enter the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just focusing on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of a short time," he said. "It's clear how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team experienced their initial loss in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their lead at the summit of the league to two clear points.

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

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," he said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."