🔗 Share this article Arteta Warns Injury Crisis Could Undermine Arsenal's Trophy Quest Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's chase for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of injuries and a relentless schedule. Fresh Squad News Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable. There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward registered to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury. "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 knock-on effect to that and it's a really dangerous cycle." Dowman's issue is the latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League. Extended Absences Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until 2025. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss. Arteta rejected the idea that practice methods were to blame, citing a lack of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years. Recruitment Strategy Even after a significant off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not looking to dip into the January recruitment market. "At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "We know how important those coming weeks are going to be." Looking Ahead The team experienced their initial loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points. Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would virtually guarantee a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League fixture. "We are frustrated with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."