The 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 left mixed feelings for the English team. Although he managed to rescue a point at the end thanks to a penalty converted by Kai Havertz, the team’s performance was far from convincing and provoked strong self-criticism from coach Mikel Arteta.
This article was originally published in SI FC
The coach was especially harsh with his players’ attitude after the break, when the German team found the goal that opened the scoring.
Arteta points to lack of attention
The moment that most bothered the Arsenal coach was the goal by midfielder Robert Andrich, who arrived just beginning the second half after a prepared play from the corner.
Arteta revealed that the team had analyzed these types of movements from the rival during the halftime talk. However, the team returned to the field without the necessary concentration.
Mikel Arteta on taking Saka off: “I thought we needed something else & Noni Madueke has been contributing & been a real threat, so I decided to make the change.” ❌ pic.twitter.com/wBYF8J5Nbb
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) March 11, 2026
“The opponent executed the play well, but we knew exactly what they could do,” explained the coach after the game. “We showed them videos with those same routines they had used the weekend and they still surprised us. We weren’t ready.”
Goalkeeper David Raya had already saved the team seconds before by deflecting a header from Martin Terrier, but in the next play Leverkusen did manage to convert.
The crossover between coaches due to dead ball plays
One of the curious moments of the night occurred after the German goal. Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand approached Arsenal set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover.
Hjulmand even acknowledged after the game that some of his plays were inspired by Arsenal’s own work. Laughing, the Danish coach raised a common debate in today’s football: to what extent it is legal to block or move rivals without the ball within the area during these actions.
Beyond the goal conceded, the match also exposed Arsenal’s offensive difficulties. For much of the first half, the team had possession but created very little real danger.
The clearest chance came when Gabriel Martinelli hit the crossbar after a quick offensive combination.
The problem was the lack of creativity against Leverkusen’s defensive system, which was planted with a very compact 5-4-1 block. With no space to filter passes, Arsenal ended up moving the ball around the rival area without depth.
The absence of Martin Ødegaard, the team’s main playmaker, was felt more than expected. Not even the presence of destabilizing footballers like Bukayo Saka managed to break the German structure.
The entry of Noni Madueke brought something different with her overflows and was key in the play that ended in Havertz’s penalty. However, Arteta knows that the team will need much more if they are to advance to the quarter-finals of the European tournament.
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