Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder Arsenal's Trophy Quest
Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.
Latest Squad News
Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain on the sidelines.
There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle problem.
"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing 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 latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.
Long-Term Absences
- Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025.
- Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the manager.
Arteta rejected the suggestion that training methods were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.
Recruitment Strategy
Even after a significant off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to dip into the January transfer market.
"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "It's clear how crucial those weeks are going to be."
Next Challenge
The team suffered their initial defeat in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points.
Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League match.
"We are frustrated with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."
