Arteta Fears Fitness Crisis Could Hinder Arsenal's Silverware Hunt
Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.
Fresh Team News
Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.
There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury.
"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously 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 really vicious circle."
Dowman's setback is the most recent in a long list 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 2025.
- Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.
Arteta rejected the idea that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.
Transfer Plans
Even after a major summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely planning to enter the January transfer market.
"Right now 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 important those coming weeks are going to be."
Next Challenge
The team experienced their first loss in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two points.
Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make history by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive European match.
"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."