Mikel Arteta Fears Fitness Woes Could Undermine The Gunners' Silverware Hunt
Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for titles this season is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.
Latest Squad News
Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.
There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle problem.
"Training, no because we lack time to train. But obviously 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 truly dangerous cycle."
Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 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 surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.
Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, citing a lack of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.
Recruitment Strategy
Despite a significant summer investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to enter the January recruitment market.
"Right now we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of a short time," he commented. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."
Next Challenge
The team experienced their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the league to two clear points.
Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group victory would all but secure a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth straight successive European fixture.
"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."
