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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's chase for titles this season is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule.

Fresh Team Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. 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 continues to recover from knee and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Even after a significant off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely looking to dip into the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group win would all but guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," he stated. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."