Arteta Fears Injury Crisis Could Hinder The Gunners' Silverware Hunt
Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for titles this campaign is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule.
Latest Squad News
Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.
There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.
"Training, no because we lack 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 truly vicious circle."
Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of injuries 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 Absentees
- Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until 2025.
- Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "requires more time," according to the boss.
Arteta rejected the suggestion that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted 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 over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to enter the January recruitment market.
"At the moment we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a matter of a short time," he commented. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."
Looking Ahead
The squad 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.
Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group win would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League fixture.
"The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."