Arteta Admits He Didn't Dare Dial Alonso Before Arsenal's UCL Showdown

Arsenal face a demanding run across competitions

Arsenal travel to BayArena for the Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, as Mikel Arteta’s side chase success on multiple fronts this season.

They are pressing in the Premier League, have reached the League Cup final, and still sit in contention in Europe after finishing top of their group, underscoring a busy schedule ahead.

Arteta on the quadruple talk and his talk with Alonso

In the press conference, Arteta explained: "We are playing several competitions — three different tournaments in the next three games against very different opponents. You must adapt quickly, understand what the match demands, and be better than them." He said he does not use the term quadruple and that he does not discuss such targets with players, focusing instead on one match at a time.

Asked about speaking with his friend Xabi Alonso, Arteta said: "I didn’t want to put him in that position, and I greatly admire what he has achieved for this club and its players; it was a historic and unique achievement." He added that he did not have the courage to talk to Alonso before tomorrow's game, mindful of his feelings for the club, and noting two players who recently left the club gave valuable information (Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapié).

Alonso had led Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title and the German Cup in 2023-24, moved to Real Madrid last summer, but was dismissed in January after losing the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona. Arsenal will concentrate on performance and consistency as they prepare for the tie.

Punchline 1: If football were math, Arteta would be calculating post-match coffee consumption to the factor of ten, and somehow still win.

Punchline 2: The quadruple talk? It’s as real as my gym membership—the idea sounds great, the execution is where the humor kicks in.