Odegaard speaks out on Arsenal’s huge win over Bayer Leverkusen

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his satisfaction with his team’s 4-1 friendly victory over Bayer Leverkusen, highlighting the valuable test it provided for his squad.

“I’m very pleased, obviously with the result because it’s what we want, but especially with the performance against a really strong side with really good players who are extremely well coached,” Arteta told the media. “They gave us problems, but we found so many good solutions, so it was a real test today.”

The manager praised his players’ ability to adapt and overcome the challenges posed by Leverkusen. “Not only we as a team, but individually I think we raised another level today,” he added. “I think there are so many players that played in some really good moments.”

Arteta also highlighted the positive contributions of Arsenal’s academy players, who featured prominently in the second half. “We made a lot of changes and struggled in the second half with organization when we made those changes, but it was great to see our academy players again playing for the first team and playing with the personality that they did. There were a lot of positives,” he said.

The win showcased Arsenal’s attacking prowess, with goals from Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz. The manager was particularly impressed with his team’s commitment and determination. “The commitment that we showed, the determination, the attitude to play our game and to respect certain things that they were doing that they wouldn’t have restricted us to something that we do normally, and to be able to adapt to that. Then where we had opportunities to be ourselves and be very clinical. I think we did that really well,” Arteta concluded.

The victory over Leverkusen serves as a positive indicator for Arsenal as they gear up for the upcoming Premier League season. The team’s ability to overcome a strong opponent and the impressive performance of the young players bodes well for their title aspirations. Arteta and his squad will be looking to build on this momentum as they continue their preparations for the Premier League campaign.