Bayer - on the bus. Fighting for perception
Arsenal secures their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals for the third season running!
Compared to that memorable Everton clash, Arteta opted for a few tweaks—Calafiori and Havertz were benched for Hincapie and Gyokeres, which is pure load management. Ben White stepped in for the crocked Timber, which was a forced move. I reckon Madueke deserved a start after his massive contribution against Bayer, but it was lukewarm captain Saka out there again.
The biggest plus for me was Benjamin White. I worried that after missing out against Everton and seeing limited minutes in general, there’d be some tension between him and the gaffer over his game time. However, it looks like Arteta is finally taking fitness management of some of our players seriously. White, Calafiori, and Havertz aren’t being thrown for two games in a row; they’re being wrapped in cotton wool. It’s a vital detail, as we’ll need every functioning pair of legs between now and May.
Right from the off, without any foreplay we showed them exactly what it means to face an English side. For all the mockery of the “physical set-piece” league, Bayer found out the hard way what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with a Premier League heavyweight.
We pressed them relentlessly, bossing the midfield and giving them no room to breathe. Leverkusen’s only outlet was the long ball to their striker Kofane, who was actually quite decent. Every time he managed to get close to the ball, his only problem was facing the two best centre-backs for physical duels. Saliba and Gabriel didn’t give him a mere couple of seconds to think.
This dominance led to a hatful of chances in the first half: Trossard curled one toward the top bins, Saka fired right at the keeper, another Trossard shot, now in the bottom corner, and an effort from Gyokeres blocked. The Bayer keeper was equal to it all—until our Crystal Palace flower, who always blooms in the spring, decided to take the matter in his own hands and smashed a mouthwatering rocket into the top bin. It’s the kind of goal you can’t even be mad about conceding; you just shrug the shoulders and tip your cap.
The celebration was almost as cool as the goal itself:
I only just realized from the commentary that this absolute screamer—surely a Goal of the Season contender—was Eze’s first in the Champions League. We bagged plenty in the group stage, but none actually came from him. By March, we’ve learned Eze isn’t about quantity; he’s about pure, exclusive quality.
He won’t give you 20 passes to Saka in different positions on the wing, but he’ll slice a defence open twice a game. He won’t take his man on every single time, but he’ll suddenly glide past two and find a shooting lane. He won’t score a bucketload, but he’ll score the one you’ll be talking about until the end of the campaign.
He’s the most likely man to produce something from nothing in this Arsenal side. The second? Declan Rice, who bagged the second of the evening. But before Rice’s strike, it was a narrow lead, meaning Leverkusen had to start taking risks and opening up.
We had a ton of interceptions high up the pitch, but we couldn’t quite kill them off on the counter. That’s a real concern for the Champions League journey. We aren’t being ruthless enough; we aren’t being lethal; we’re playing with our food instead of burying the game when we have the chance.
Our defence is rock solid—arguably the best collective unit in the world—but a man-to-man, physical scrap that works against the likes of Bayer or even Inter won’t fully stop Yamal and Raphinha, Olise and Musiala, Kvaratskhelia and Barcola. Those players have such a high level of individual quality and the silkiness of their feet that they can score from a low probability chance against the best backlines.
Barcelona has bagged 6 against Inter in the last season semifinals, they have put 8 past Newcastle (although Newcastle totally lost their plot after 4-2). PSG have shipped 8 past Chelsea and Madrid have done serious damage to City. Our defence is better than all the above, but it’s not out of the question that these teams could easily nick three or four goals over two legs.
Which means to progress, we need to be scoring five or six. It’s realistic IF we stop wasting chances and polish our counters to automatic execution. Chelsea had plenty of chances in Paris but only managed to score two. Inter knocked out Barca last year because they were much more clinical and bagged seven. Eze screamers and set pieces won’t get us to six goals, but ruthless punishing of opponents’ mistakes will.
We didn’t do that against Leverkusen, keeping it at 1-0 until “Uncle” Rice intercepted the ball (for the 10th time in the game) and lashed it into the bottom corner—another unnecessarily spectacular finish. That felt like “game over” for Leverkusen. Arteta hooked White, Zubimendi, and Trossard for fitness management. Seeing the triple sub, Eze decided to quickly go down as well, saving himself for a massive Sunday.
I don’t know if Arteta planned that sub, but I agree we need to take care of Eberechi. We can’t afford going into the Champions League semifinal and final without him, because nobody else can pull off the magical moment in the highest points of pressure. Saka isn’t at that level right now, Odegaard is a bit mechanical, and Gyokeres needs to be put in a specially crafted situation where all he has to do is to take a powerful shot. His passing can be stray and his control isn’t elite yet, though he has a world-class finish and proper fight in him.
Apart from Eze, Trossard can also deliver on his day. Yesterday was one of his better outings, and now it’s increasingly clear he’s best when well-rested. That’s why he’s a “super sub” rather than a week-in, week-out starter. Given his age, he simply can’t be playing two games per week in such a physically demanding league. We need to use him sparingly to keep him fresh for the big ones, because his mentality, ball control and finishing are still top-tier.
Havertz came in for Eze and it was our sub number 4 which meant we had only one left. In 2026, it’s mad to remember there were times when the team was only limited to three. It not only benefits a deep squad like Arsenal’s, it keeps the players happier, since now they can get gaming time even if they are not the first choice in their position. Our final sub was Myles Lewis-Skelly, who’s been in the wilderness for a while. Madueke and Calafiori also deserved minutes, not to mention Sunday’s hero Max Dowman, who surely earned a Champions League cameo.
We cruised through the final whistle, with Raya making his traditional important saves. Now it’s Sporting Lisbon with the second leg at the Emirates. I expect a similar story to Bayer: a solid away result - a draw or a one-goal win, then unleashing the handbrake at home. We’re more organized and have better quality, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
But before all that, we play for our first trophy of the season - the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. It’s a weird one, to be honest. If we win, it’s not remotely as prestigious as the big two, so it wouldn’t even deliver a fraction of recognition these players and manager have deserved on their journey this season. Therefore as fans, we shouldn’t be stressed, in theory. However, if we lose, the “bottlers” and “bridesmaids” narrative will be back in full force. Even if in one game of football anything can happen and the better team can lose, even if it comes to a penalty shootout which is a true lottery, the narrative will stick.
We aren’t just fighting for a trophy on Sunday; we’re fighting for the narrative, for our perception, for claiming our seat at the table of greatness. And I am not talking about the importance of perception for the portion of Arsenal fans who a desperate for approval and get triggered by any mean comment Gary Neville (or another ex-United player, who was our biggest rival at their time) throws in the media pit hole. I am talking about the effect of perception on players who will have space for doubt in their heads until they start raising trophies over their heads.
Carabao final comes first this season and we can’t underestimate its importance. This team deserves at least two trophies this year, including a major one. The most likely bets at this moment are the League and the League Cup.
We head into this final in better spirits than City, with higher confidence levels, with a better recent track record. We have better defence, we are more coherent as a team, we demonstrate higher desire to win at all costs. Our opponents have only one strong argument - Pep Guardiola. While I am not a fan of him as a person, I can’t deny his managerial abilities. In addition to great understanding of football tactics (including how to neutralize the opponent), he has a PhD in motivating players. He will be absolutely riled up and he will turn all his energy into avoiding the loss of silverware to his former assistant.
For us it means that Man City will be most dangerous in the first 15 minutes of each half. If you check the games against Madrid, those were approximately the times when City was at its most dangerous.
If we weather that storm, their energy will fade and it’ll come down to the players on the pitch. Given they’ve only won once in their last five, I don’t think they have a strong finish in them.
I wouldn’t even mind Arteta going ultra-conservative early on, provided we open up in the final 25 minutes. We know we can be vertical and sting them on the break. We also know that Rodri will be hunting Eze; if we can get him on an early yellow, it’ll change the game.
Havertz will likely lead the line. I’d start Madueke on the right; he’s fresh and he has the audacity and skill to threaten the hell out of their left back, that is supposed to be Ait-Nouri. Meanwhile, Saka has been bang average and really struggling against decent defenders. I worry Arteta might not trust a White/Madueke pairing defensively without Timber, fearing that wing might be exposed.
There are ways to mitigate that —for example, start Hincapie and leave him in a deeper position or tell Rice and Zubimendi to not wander away. There’s also a world where Madueke starts on the left and tears up Nunes. It’s Arteta’s call in the end - I just don’t think Saka can deliver a powerful performance after two ninety-minute shifts.
Coming on from the bench on the other hand with two fullbacks, Trossard, and Gyokeres (or even Max!) off the bench could give us a massive finish—the kind that changes the perception of Arsenal for years to come.