In a miserable midweek for English clubs in the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen was actually one of the better results – which is saying something.
The Gunners left it very late to level the scores, however, relying on a soft penalty to ensure parity going into the second leg.
Here are our Scout Notes.
RESULT
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Bayer Leverkusen (a) | 1-1 draw | Havertz pen | Madueke |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GW29 | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | OTHER PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 1 | Raya (90), Timber (90), Gabriel (90), Hincapie (90), Zubimendi (90), Rice (90), Martinelli (90), Eze (82), Gyokeres (74), Saka (60) | Saliba (90), Madueke (30), Havertz (16), Jesus (8) |
SALIBA + WHITE RETURN
Passed fit by Mikel Arteta on Tuesday, William Saliba (£6.1m) returned to the Arsenal XI after a 10-day absence.
He was the only change from the team that started in Gameweek 29, with Mikel Arteta subsequently rotating massively in the FA Cup.
Riccardo Calafiori (£5.6m) also made a swift recovery from an issue picked up against Mansfield Town to make the bench.
More of a surprise inclusion in the squad was Jurrien Timber‘s (£6.3m) main positional rival, Ben White (£5.1m). We hadn’t seen him in three weeks due to a “niggle”.
With a return fixture against Leverkusen to come next Tuesday and the EFL Cup final beyond it, could Arteta turn to some deputies like White against Everton this weekend?
TROSSARD LATEST
Absent, though, was Leandro Trossard (£6.7m). He hobbled off against the Stags on Saturday but had trained ahead of the trip to Germany, raising expectations that he would feature.
“He trained yesterday but he wasn’t comfortable to play. He said he was still feeling something and you need at this level the players at 100% and he wasn’t.” – Mikel Arteta on Leandro Trossard
WHY SAKA CAME OFF
Usually, when we discuss Arsenal’s fitness issues, Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) is in there somewhere. A 60th-minute substitution typically means the limp-prone winger has hobbled out of the game.
Not so this time. Saka had a bit of a stinker, poor in possession and frequently failing to beat his marker.
He was hooked on the hour mark, with replacement Noni Madueke (£6.8m) bright upon his introduction. Madueke won the (contentious) penalty that drew Arsenal level, indeed.
“IÂ thought we needed something else and Noni has been contributing and being a real threat, so I decided to make the change.” – Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka’s withdrawal
“We improved with the finishers. A different threat started to create in and around the box, and Noni created the moment to score.” – Mikel Arteta
Madueke for Saka is one change we could well see against the Toffees on Saturday.
HAVERTZ ON PENS… SORT OF
With Saka off the field and a fading Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8m) hooked in the 74th minute, substitute Kai Havertz (£7.3m) stepped up to take Arsenal’s late penalty.
Another Gunner who has taken spot-kicks in the past, Martin Odegaard (£7.8m), is currently sidelined.
So, despite a brilliant career record from 12 yards (21/22 scored), Havertz is likely still some way down the pecking order. This was his first penalty for Arteta’s side since September 2023, indeed.
MORE OF THE SAME FROM ARSENAL
We wrote after Gameweek 29 that, with the stakes getting higher at the business end of the season, we’re probably going to see even more cautious, low-xG matches involving Arsenal, helmed by the cagey Arteta.
So it was on Tuesday, with the xG standing at a sleep-inducing 0.53-0.44 before Havertz’s late spot-kick.
Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) rattled the woodwork early on but that was it for clear-cut Arsenal chances until the 84th minute, when Timber – who was eye-catchingly advanced all game – nodded over.
Martinelli was the only Gunner to register more than one shot, while no one created more than one chance.
At the other end, Leverkusen’s Christian Kofane caused the Gunners’ centre-backs plenty of bother but again, there were no major openings to report until Martin Terrier drew a fine stop out of David Raya (£6.0m) and Robert Andrich headed in the subsequent corner.
Once again, a match that was more of an advert for the Arsenal defensive stack in FPL rather than any of their attacking assets.
