Mikel Arteta Fears Fitness Woes Could Undermine The Gunners' Trophy Hunt
Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.
Fresh Squad Update
Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to Belgium due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.
There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle problem.
"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly 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 truly dangerous cycle."
Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.
Long-Term Absentees
- Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
- Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the manager.
Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.
Transfer Plans
Even after a major summer investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to enter the winter transfer market.
"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."
Next Challenge
The team experienced their initial loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two points.
Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group win would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth straight successive European fixture.
"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."
