Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a worrying cycle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.
Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.
There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury.
"Training, 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 issue is the most recent in a extensive list of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.
Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to blame, citing a lack of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.
Even after a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to enter the January transfer market.
"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he commented. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."
The team suffered their first loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their lead at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.
Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group win would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth successive Champions League match.
"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "It's not like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."
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