Mikel Arteta Warns Injury Woes Could Undermine Arsenal's Silverware Quest
Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's chase for honors this campaign is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.
Latest Squad News
Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.
There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.
"Training, 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 truly dangerous circle."
Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long series of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.
Extended Absences
- Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
- Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the boss.
Arteta rejected the idea that practice intensity were to blame, citing a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.
Recruitment Strategy
Even after a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely planning to dip into the January transfer market.
"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he commented. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."
Next Challenge
The team experienced their initial defeat in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the league to two clear points.
Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.
"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."
