Mikel Arteta was unhappy with Arsenal’s set-piece defending after Bayer Leverkusen used their own weapons against Arsenal to draw 1-1 in the Champions League last 16 at BayArena.
Arsenal’s set-piece threat was a hot topic ahead of the first leg, but Leverkusen showed a threat of their own when Robert Andrich headed in Alejandro Grimaldo’s in-swinging corner kick.
The goal, canceled out by Kai Havertz’s penalty against his old club, came just 45 seconds from half-time, just after Arsenal had almost been forced out of their kick-off routine.
David Raya made a great save from Martin Tellier’s header and they equalized from the chance, but Leverkusen punished their loose marking and scored from a set piece.
Robert Andrich scores Bayer Leverkusen’s goal from a corner kick
The goal was very disappointing for Arteta, who said he and his coaching staff had shown the players three examples of Bayer Leverkusen’s kick-off routine in the previous game.
“We talked about it at halftime and expected it to start very quickly, especially because we knew the certain routine they would do on kickoff, and we have three games on the weekend,” he said.
“Instead, we got caught, we weren’t prepared enough, we gave up a chance to head it, and we conceded the goal there.
“When you give your opponent hope and an advantage at that level, they’re going to buy into it. Then emotionally it’s a whole different challenge, so we had to dig deep.”
The goal was the first goal Arsenal had conceded from a set-piece in the Champions League this season, but Arteta felt it was due to complacency on the part of his players.
“There are always two sides to it,” Arteta added. “One is the opponent factor, in both situations they exploited their weaknesses and lacked attention and urgency.
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz scores a penalty against Bayer Leverkusen
“And the other one is us. We showed three clips from last weekend three different ways because we knew, and we weren’t ready for that, so we got caught.”
Jover asked Hjormund, “You’re going to do it too, right?”
After Andrich’s goal, Bayer Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjourmand was seen having a brief exchange with Arsenal set-piece manager Nicola Jobar on the touchline.
In his pre-match press conference, Yulmand criticized the blocking tactics used by Arsenal on set-pieces, but insisted after the match that his comments had been misunderstood.
The Dane said he meant to question the rules and not Arsenal in particular, saying Leverkusen applied the same tactic, which he admitted to Jover after the opponent’s goal.
“I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding in yesterday’s press conference that I was objecting to the way Arsenal blocked attacks,” he said.
Leverkusen manager Kasper Urmand reveals his frustration after the match against Arsenal
“It’s not an Arsenal issue, it’s a rules issue. We do the same thing. Every team does it. They put up attacking blocks and do body checks to create space. And the question I’m wondering is, is that legal? Is it actually in the rules to send a player off without the ball?”
“And he said, ‘You’re going to do it too, right?’
“Yes, we will do it too!”
“It’s the same for every team. We all do it.”
Hjormand objected to the award of a penalty converted by Havertz when the referee’s decision to penalize Malik Tillman for a foul on Noni Maduke was upheld by VAR.
“For me it’s not a penalty,” he added.
“Sometimes I think the referee shouldn’t blow the whistle and if you check it with VAR it’s 100 per cent safe. But if the referee blows the whistle it’s not clear and obvious. For me it wasn’t.”
“It would have been nice to win 1-0, but that’s how it is. I don’t see any penalties, but that’s how it went.”
Penalty is ‘big moment’ for Havertz
The decision frustrated Leverkusen, but Havertz scored his third goal of an injury-plagued season and played a decisive role against his boyhood club, leaving for Chelsea six years ago.
“Football is an interesting game and brings special stories,” Arteta said.
“I think it’s a big moment for him to come back here after such a long time and be part of this club and score such an important goal.”
Kai Havertz puts the ball on the spot before the penalty
Havertz admitted there was a long wait before taking the spot kick as calls were checked and the referee pointed out the intrusion, making the match even tougher, but he admitted he was helped by the familiar surroundings.
“Of course, the time between the penalty whistle and the penalty kick felt like an eternity,” he told UEFA.
“But ultimately you have to be mentally present in the moment.
“I know the stadium well and have taken a lot of penalties here, so I felt good.
“We have another big task waiting for us next week.”
