Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule.
Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.
There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.
"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious cycle."
Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of injuries for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.
Arteta rejected the idea that training methods were to culprit, citing a lack of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.
Despite a major summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not looking to dip into the January transfer market.
"Right now we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."
The team suffered their initial loss in 18 matches at the weekend, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two points.
Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would all but guarantee a top-eight place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth straight successive European fixture.
"The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."
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