Mikel Arteta said Arsenal must treat their Champions League meeting with Bayer Leverkusen as a decisive test as the knockout phase begins, warning there is “no margin for manoeuvre” once the competition reaches this stage.
Arteta spoke to the media at the BayArena shortly after arriving in Germany ahead of the round of 16 first leg and made clear his side understand the stakes involved in the next phase of the campaign.
“Yes, you start the second part of the campaign and you know what is at stake,” he said. “We start to play games where you are in or you are out, there is no margin for manoeuvre, and we’re going to face a very difficult contest tomorrow against a really good team.”
Arsenal will be without Martin Odegaard, with Arteta confirming the captain is not available for the match.
“He’s out,” he said bluntly.
There could still be late decisions on other players. Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard have both returned to training and remain possible options for the match.
“Those two are a possibility that they are available, and we’ll see tomorrow.”
There was better news elsewhere in defence, with Gabriel and William Saliba both available for selection.
“Yes.”
Arteta also confirmed Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are available.
“Yes.”
Ben White has also travelled with the squad, even though he missed training on Tuesday.
The manager insisted his approach remains focused on each match individually rather than thinking about the wider picture across competitions.
“The only thing you can take is game by game and try tomorrow to be better than the opposition and earn the right to win,” he said. “We always talk about that. Obviously we play so many games in different competitions, in the next three games we’re going to play in three different competitions, against completely different opponents. You have to adapt to that. You have to, very early in the match, understand what the game is going to require, adapt to it and be better than them.”
Arteta was also asked about Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has featured more regularly in Europe than in the Premier League.
“Every season is different,” Arteta replied. “He’s had very good moments in the season, he’s had other moments when he hasn’t played that much. Obviously a few days ago in the FA Cup he was suspended and he could not play so there are various reasons. Sometimes as well, the good form of your teammates is another factor that contributes to that, but he’s doing well.”
Despite Arsenal’s growing experience in the competition, Arteta stressed the team must still prove themselves on the night.
“I believe so, but this is football and you have to show it tomorrow night. I know that you have to be so clear what the game is going to demand, you need to perform on the day. The Champions League is about the day and within that day there are moments, and you have to be better than the opponent.”
He believes that experience has improved within the squad since his arrival.
“They certainly have more experience in the competition,” Arteta said. “When I joined, there was a big part of the team that hadn’t played in this competition. That’s obviously something that is necessary like in any other competition and they understand it better. Now we have to perform.”
Arteta also reflected on lessons taken from last season’s run to the semi finals.
“Yes, you learn about the things that you did well and the reason why you are there, and the things that you can improve. But then every game and every time will be so specific that it’s so difficult to replicate. You can have certain memories, but actually, you have to apply your learnings in that moment, and that window is very small, so you have to be efficient.”
Asked whether the squad speak about the possibility of winning four trophies, Arteta dismissed the idea.
“No, I don’t use that phrase. I don’t know what they talk about when I’m not there. But we all know the difficulty of every competition. Starting tomorrow, we are changing from competition to competition every three days, and so far we’ve done so well and we need to continue to do that.”
The return to Leverkusen also brings added significance for Kai Havertz, who spent a decade at the club earlier in his career.
Arteta admitted he did not closely follow the forward’s early development but spoke to him about the club’s importance in his career.
“Not too much to be fair because in our league and with the amount of games that we play we don’t have much time to analyse an individual player in a different country,” Arteta explained. “But I did speak to him, he spent 10 incredible years here.
“The way he talks about the club, the people here, the culture, what he’s learned and how hard this journey was for him to continue his next chapter in England was capital. A lot of learnings and I’m glad to see how people are receiving him the moment he’s walking around the building, and I’m not surprised.”
Arteta also said the forward’s fitness has been improving steadily after recent injury problems.
“Now it’s been three weeks that he’s had total consistency in terms of training, preparation and gametime, and we’re going to continue to roll that because we know how Kai can impact this team,” Arteta said.
He then acknowledged the injuries have been a new challenge for the player.
“It’s been something new for him. When you look at his injury record, it’s just blank. He never had a muscle injury and last year he had his hamstring injury that required surgery and then the knee injury, so it’s been a tough period. But as well a lot of great things happened in his private life as well. When you talk about a 15-20 year career, you’re going to have to go unfortunately, most likely, through these moments. If there is a person that has the right combination of humbleness, patience and love for the game and a competitive edge, that’s certain Kai. He had difficult moments but that’s why we are here and all his teammates and family are there. Now he needs to really enjoy all the work that he’s put in to see the results at the end of the season.”
A lighter moment in training involving Arteta and Declan Rice had circulated online earlier in the day, which the manager explained.
“They very gently suggested that we have to go through [the tunnel] because of something that happened a few days ago. It was a bit of banter, a bit of fun and they were right to do it.”
Arteta believes that sense of connection within the squad remains an important factor.
“It’s the interaction that we have with the players. We as staff love working with them. I think that feeling is from both sides because they know how much we care about them. The level of demand goes very closely with the level of support that they get. I think the better that connection is, the bigger the chance is to achieve what we want.”
He added that much of what builds the team’s spirit happens away from the public eye. “That’s a part that you probably can see, but there is so much that is going on every single day. Some beautiful moments, some others that are very tough as well. The objective that we have is clear. We have a fantastic group of people to do it and obviously a fantastic group of players.”
For now, Arteta’s focus remains firmly on the immediate challenge.
“I live in the present and I prepare for what I expect and what I feel every single day with optimism,” he said. “Putting everything that I have in, and trying to transmit and inspire those players to feel the same way. And then this is football. We have to do it. There is so much to do. There is a lot that we have done, but the important part is coming now and it starts tomorrow.”
He also confirmed he has not sought advice from Xabi Alonso, despite their close relationship and Alonso’s history with the German club.
“I didn’t want to put him in that position, I don’t think it would have been fair,” Arteta said. “Obviously I have spoken a lot and I admire incredibly what he did for this football club and the group of players because it was something historic and unique.
“But no, I haven’t had the courage to speak to him and put him in that situation because I know how he is feeling about the club, and as well because I think we have two players as well that have been with this club recently, with this team and they’ve given us quite a lot of information.”