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Havertz and Arteta on Premier League leaders Arsenal's Champion's league trip to Bayer Leverkusen
10/03/2026
UEFA26 champions league
10/03/2026
UEFA26 champions league
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00:18Hi guys, Mikel is following quickly behind, so if we can keep it to one or two, we'll
00:24start with English and then we'll go on to a few German at the end. Alex, do you want
00:27to kick us off?
00:28Hi Kai. Champions League round of 16 and you're back at Bayer Leverkusen, so what's it
00:35like to be back here at this stage?
00:37Yeah, I think it's amazing. I think I already saw a lot of familiar faces and obviously
00:43a lot of memories are coming up and especially for me, playing for Arsenal, playing for this
00:49club, coming back to my childhood club is amazing and I can't wait for the game tomorrow.
00:58You've come back from a knee injury at the beginning of the season, you're building up your minutes.
01:02How have you found this season? Would it be fair to say it's been a bit of a stop-start
01:07for you?
01:08Yeah, for sure. I think for me personally, obviously, we all know it was not what I expected it to
01:15be.
01:15But I always think that things happen for a reason and now I'm back and I feel good.
01:24And I'm happy to help the team again. Obviously, it was, as you said, stop and start, but sometimes football
01:29is like this.
01:31I haven't really faced a challenge like this before my career. So, yeah, I just tried to give everything to
01:39be back as soon as I could.
01:40And, yeah, now I'm just happy to be back and be here and help the team.
01:44Tom?
01:45Hi, Kai. While you were out, Martin Odegaard was also out at similar times.
01:50And we saw in that documentary that came out that you're quite close as a friendship.
01:54Did you support one another through that time that you were out together?
01:57Yeah, 100 per cent. I mean, not only him. I think for me personally, I can speak about the whole
02:02club.
02:04You know, everyone has been behind me. It started all with, you know, my hamstring injury I had the year
02:10before.
02:13So it's, yeah, I think good to say that it was unbelievable from the whole team, from the players, from
02:19the coaching staff.
02:20Obviously, to be injured is not the nicest thing. And Martin has gone through the same thing at the moment.
02:27And obviously, he's been part of it as well, you know, because we are very close friends and try to
02:32lift each other up here and there.
02:34But at the end of the day, you know, the players, the whole club has been amazing.
02:39And I think that's what you need, especially when you're out and seeing the boys doing so well, you just
02:45want to be part of it.
02:47So, yeah, I think obviously it's tough for him, but I think he's going to be hopefully back very soon.
02:52And when you were coming back, you started to play behind the centre forward position a little bit in the
02:57number 10 role.
02:58So it might mean that you and Martin are going to be competing for a very similar position on the
03:02pitch.
03:02How do you feel about that?
03:04I think competing is part of football. I think in general, when you when you see our squad is unbelievable,
03:10the players we have.
03:13And I think competing is very healthy for us.
03:17You know, we we're lifting each other in training and the game and just does a lot to our game
03:22as well, because everyone basically can play every game.
03:26And I think that's so important. And we've seen, especially this season, how important it is sometimes in games when
03:31you need a goal or need to defend the goal.
03:33Everyone can come in and think sometimes it's tough for the manager to to decide who's playing, who's not playing.
03:39But I think that's our job, you know, to make it hard for him.
03:42So I think competition is always good. And I think there's not going to be a lot of argument arguments,
03:49especially between players about anything.
03:51It's just we are a team and we all have to compete together and win games.
03:55James.
03:57Kai, just just on the injuries. I mean, you said it's one of the biggest challenges of your career.
04:02Can you just talk about the kind of mental aspect of coming back thinking, you know, you're back and you're
04:08ready to play and then having another injury?
04:10I mean, are you having to learn to trust your body again?
04:14Yeah, I mean, I think so. Yes, in a way, because obviously I had two injuries after now three injuries
04:22behind each other.
04:24But yeah, for me, it was just tough because I never felt that pain before in my life.
04:30And it just came like randomly. But I tried to go through these things.
04:37And obviously I got my support from at home as well, my family, you know, that helped me a lot
04:43during that time.
04:44But obviously, you know, having two surgeries after another is not easy.
04:49But I think I'm professional enough to know that also this is part of football sometimes.
04:56And I know that there are so many players out there that went through stages of their career also.
05:02And I think I'm still young. So I've got a lot of a lot of years hopefully in front of
05:07me.
05:08But yeah, obviously mentally it was tough. But I think I got the help from at home, from from Arsenal,
05:14from the players.
05:14So everyone was lifting my spirits. And then that's all I can do.
05:18I tried to help the players also off the pitch because I was at the training ground every day.
05:23And I saw them competing in the in the games in the stadium.
05:26And for me, it was a joy to watch them.
05:29Do you have full confidence that those injury problems are behind you now?
05:32Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I'm confident. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling better.
05:38Obviously, things can always happen, but I'm feeling 100 percent ready to play games.
05:42I'm feeling fit. And I can't wait to to help the team in the next couple of months.
05:46Matt?
05:47Hi Kai. Kai, you're on about Victor. He's obviously had a lot of scrutiny on him this season.
05:51And maybe in your first season here, you had some questions, too.
05:54Is that something you sort of speak to him about, giving him advice?
05:57And how do you think he's dealt with it all?
06:00Yeah, of course, we speak about lots of things in general.
06:04Sometimes I don't think us as players, we understand the critics.
06:10I knew it from before and I felt it myself when I came to England, first of all.
06:14And then when I came to Arsenal, you always need some time to adapt.
06:17But I felt even though people saw him very critical in the first couple of months, I never saw it
06:23because he's a player who helps the team in so many different aspects.
06:27And I think there's only a few players that, I don't know, score 30, 35 goals a season.
06:34And I think he's done amazingly this season and he helped us a lot.
06:40And he's a top guy and I'm sure he's also going to score some more important goals in the next
06:46games.
06:46James.
06:47James.
06:48Hi, Kai.
06:50Since you've come back and, in fact, since you've been at Arsenal, we've seen you play a number of different
06:53positions.
06:54We've seen you in left eight, we've seen you as a nine, we've seen you as a ten.
06:58Obviously, you're happy to play wherever the coach asks you, but which is the position where you really feel most
07:02comfortable and that you give your best version of yourself?
07:05I missed this question. I think I've got this a lot. Honestly, I can't answer it to you because it
07:15started when I was here in Germany in Leverkusen.
07:18I just played all the positions up front and, you know, I'm used to it.
07:22Also, when I was an academy player, I just played wherever the coach needed it to be.
07:27Sometimes, obviously, it's good, sometimes it's bad. But for myself, honestly, it's the truth.
07:32Like, for me, I don't mind. I just want to be a threat in the box, want to obviously score
07:39goals, want to assist players.
07:41And I think that's also my biggest strength, you know, to be present in the box.
07:48But, I mean, I also played left back at the national team, so I think there's not a lot of
07:53positions left anymore, which I haven't played.
07:56So, honestly, it's up to the coach.
07:58And that time you had out last year, did it give you a different perspective on the game, on your
08:06career, on how important it is to you?
08:09Do you think it gave you a different level of hunger now when you've come back?
08:12Yeah, 100%. I think during these times, I think you, or myself, I felt how much I missed being on
08:20the pitch, how much I missed being with the boys.
08:23You know, that feeling that you have after games, being with the boys in the changing room, I missed it
08:28so much.
08:28And that's why also it was mentally so hard for me, because I couldn't be there.
08:33And then, yeah, I think it just gave me, as you said, new hunger, you know.
08:41And, yeah, I think, honestly, I'm so happy just to be with them again and be on the pitch, be
08:46around them and just, as I said, just help them to win games.
08:50We're going to do the last two in English, so Nick and then Simon, is that right?
08:53Hi, Kai. You've obviously won the Champions League with Chelsea, played a huge role in that success.
09:00I mean, what did you learn that season about what it takes and what's required to go the distance in
09:06this competition?
09:09Yeah, I think different things. I think, obviously, we had also lots of experienced players, the same as we have
09:19now.
09:20I think sometimes you also, I think we had games where we needed a bit of luck as well.
09:24But at the end of the day, I think, yeah, we just stood together as a group and we started
09:32to go on a run, win games.
09:34And I don't know, I don't remember a lot about the games before the final, but I think it was
09:40always tough matches,
09:41always matches that were on the edge. And then we had just sometimes moments where we could lose the match,
09:48but also could win them.
09:50And we decided to win them always. And, yeah, for me, obviously, it was a great experience to be in
09:57the final, to win that final and to score.
09:59So it was top memories. And I just hope I can do it here as well with Arsenal now this
10:06season.
10:07We'll do the last one at the back and then German.
10:11Hi, I'm John Jackson from Tanzania. My question is, you're obviously not new to this competition.
10:18You won Champions League before. Do you see it coming home to Arsenal this year again with you?
10:25Well, I hope so. You know, I think at the moment we are at the stage where we basically look
10:32game by game.
10:33And for us, honestly, the most important game is tomorrow. And I know myself how tough Leverkusen is to beat,
10:40especially here at home.
10:41I think they're a very good team, a top manager. So all we think about is tomorrow to win that
10:50game and then go home.
10:53And, yeah, go for the next one on the weekend, Premier League again, and then, you know, face them on
10:59the second leg next week.
11:00So I think that's all we're thinking about now.
11:03We'll finish with some German one at the back there, yeah.
11:06Hi Kai.
11:07Okay, you and then we'll go behind you, that's fine.
11:11Hi Kai.
11:12Willkommen zurück in Leverkusen.
11:16Simon Rolfes hat gesagt, wenn es um diese Double-Saison 2023-2024 ging, dass der Ursprung darin lag, dein Transfer
11:23zum FC Chelsea damals.
11:24Was macht es mit dir, dass du auf diese Art und Weise auch Teil dieses Erfolgs hier warst?
11:29Boah, ich habe wirklich gar keinen Part daran. Also ich fühle mich sehr, sehr geehrt, dass er das sagt und
11:35hatte auch mit ihm davor schon drüber gesprochen und bin natürlich sehr, sehr dankbar, aber da der ganze Erfolg geht
11:41an das Team vor zwei Jahren, an die Coaches, an die Spieler, an die Fans, an alle.
11:47Die haben sich das verdient und ich meine, ich wusste oder als ich hier war, wusste ich, wie sehr dieser
11:53Verein so einen Titel verdient. Wir haben es zu der Zeit nicht geschafft.
11:58Aber ich war umso glücklicher von zu Hause, das Ganze zu sehen und freue mich schon endlich für alle Beteiligten
12:05und glaube, für sie war es auf jeden Fall eine Saison, die sie nie wieder vergessen werden.
12:10Okay, just behind you.
12:11Thank you. Hi Kai. Willkommen zurück, auch von mir.
12:15Mit welchem Gefühl bist du heute an die Bay-Arena gefahren und kannst du verraten, wie viele Tickets du für
12:20Familie, für Freunde, für morgen besorgen musstest?
12:24Zu der ersten Frage, Top-Gefühl. Also ich habe es eben schon gesagt, für mich fühlt es sich an, als
12:30wäre ich gestern das letzte Mal hier gewesen.
12:32Das ist jetzt knapp sechs Jahre her, aber ich meine, ich war zehn Jahre hier und habe, glaube ich, vier
12:41Jahre als Profi hier dabei sein dürfen.
12:45Und ja, als ich jetzt unten durch die Tür gegangen bin, hat es sich so angefühlt, als wäre es gestern
12:49gewesen, als ich das letzte Mal hier war.
12:50Deswegen, für mich ist es einfach top, hier zu sein.
12:53Klar, natürlich bin ich hier, um das Spiel zu gewinnen, um morgen mit einem Sieg nach Hause zu fahren.
13:00Und zu der zweiten Frage, ehrlicherweise dachte ich, es kämen mehr Anfragen, aber nein, meine Familie ist hier.
13:07Meine Frau und mein Sohn kommen aus England zuschauen und da hat der Simon mir ein paar gute Tickets geklärt.
13:14Ich werde dir das letzte Mal hier machen.
13:16Sorry.
13:17Ja, hi Kai, grüß dich.
13:19Du sitzt jetzt da auf einem Podium, wo du vor ganz vielen Jahren mal gesessen hast und der Verein dir
13:26hier das Stadion gezeigt hatte,
13:28als du noch kein Spieler von Bayer Leverkusen warst.
13:32Und deine Mutter hat damals gesagt zum Verein, wollen sie meinen Sohn hier beeinflussen?
13:36Dann wurde dir das Trikot mit der Nummer zehn gegeben.
13:38Sind das auch so Erinnerungen, denn in diesem Raum fing ja eigentlich alles an, wo du jetzt gerade bist?
13:45Ja, es ging mir eben auch durch den Kopf.
13:47Ich habe mir das Foto nochmal angeschaut.
13:50Ja, das ist Wahnsinn.
13:52Ich weiß gar nicht, wie lange es jetzt her ist, aber ich, wie du gesagt hast, ist einige Jahre her.
13:57Da saß ich hier und da haben die Männer mich versucht, davon überzeugen, hierher zu kommen.
14:04Ich habe gerade ehrlicherweise auch noch meinen ersten Trainer getroffen, Slavomir Czarnecki.
14:10Und natürlich, klar, damals für meine Eltern war es eine Riesenentscheidung, den Sohn dann einfach mal mit zehn, elf Jahren
14:17eine Stunde von zu Hause weggehen zu lassen.
14:21Aber für mich war es die beste Entscheidung.
14:24Und wie gesagt, ich bin einfach nur dankbar, mit Leverkusen so tolle Jahre erlebt zu haben, dass sie mir das
14:30gegeben haben, wofür ich jahrelang gearbeitet habe.
14:32Und dafür werde ich dem Verein natürlich auch und dem Verantwortlichen für immer dankbar sein.
14:37Vielen Dank.
14:37We'll end it there.
14:38Thank you, guys.
15:08Good evening, everyone.
15:09Hope everyone's well.
15:11If you have a question, raise your hand and we'll come to you.
15:14If you're ready, we'll kick off with Alex from the BBC here.
15:18Hi, Mikel.
15:19Hi.
15:19Into the knockout stages of the Champions League, does the messaging to the players change at this point in the
15:25competition?
15:26Yeah, obviously, you start the second part of the campaign and you know what is at stake.
15:33We start to play games when you are in or you are out.
15:36There is no margin for manoeuvre and we're going to face a very difficult context tomorrow against a really good
15:42team.
15:43Can I just run through some fitness questions with you?
15:46Some of the players.
15:47So, Martin Odegaard, is he out or available?
15:50Out, he's out, yeah.
15:51And from the weekend, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiore had to come off early.
15:56Are they available?
15:57Yeah, those two are a possibility that they are available and we will see tomorrow how we use them.
16:03And then I'll do it in the pairs they play.
16:05William Saliba and Gabriel?
16:08Yes.
16:08They're both available.
16:09And Declan Rice and Martin Zubamendi?
16:12Yes.
16:12Perfect.
16:13And you have a 100% win record in the Champions League.
16:17In other sports, you have to win every game to lift the trophy.
16:21Is that something you can challenge this group of players with?
16:24Yeah, the only thing you can take it is game by game and try to tomorrow be better than the
16:30opposition and then the right to win.
16:32We always talk about that.
16:35Obviously, we're playing so many games in different competitions.
16:38In the next three games, we're going to play in three different competitions, completely different opponents.
16:42You have to adapt to that.
16:44You have to very early in the match understand what the game is going to require, adapt to it and
16:49be better than them.
16:52In this competition, Myles Lewis-Skelly started six of the eight games in this competition but found it a bit
16:57harder to start in the Premier League.
16:59I think he started one.
17:00What is the reason for that?
17:02And because of last season, have you had to manage his expectations a little bit during this campaign?
17:07Yeah, every season is different.
17:08He had very good moments in the season.
17:09He had other moments when he hasn't played that much.
17:13Obviously, a few days ago in the FA Cup, he was suspended and he could not play.
17:17So, there are various reasons.
17:19Sometimes, as well, the good form of your teammates.
17:22There are a lot of factors that contribute to that but he's doing well.
17:26James ESPN.
17:27Hi, Mikel.
17:30Two years ago at this stage, we were talking about this team not having won a knockout game for, I
17:35think it was 13 years.
17:36Last season, we were talking about them not winning a semi-final for 16 years.
17:41Do you think this team is in a different place now, that it sort of belongs at this level?
17:46You've kind of established yourself at the business end of this competition.
17:49I believe so.
17:50This is football and you have to show it tomorrow night.
17:54In order to do that, you have to be so clear what the game is going to demand.
17:58You need to perform in the day.
17:59Champions League is about the day and within that day, there are moments and you have to be better than
18:05that opponent.
18:06Do you sense it from the squad, though, that sort of mentally they're better prepared?
18:10They kind of feel they belong at this level now?
18:13They certainly have more experiences in the competition because when I joined in, they were a big part of the
18:18team.
18:18They never played in this competition.
18:20So, that's obviously something that is necessary like in any other competition and they understand it better.
18:29Now we have to perform.
18:30Simon the Sun?
18:32Mikael, just on that, do you feel like they learnt a lot from last season, the Champions League run and
18:36the one before?
18:37I remember last year you spoke about PSG and the number of times they had not made it.
18:41Do you feel like the squad have learnt a lot from last season they can take into this run now?
18:46Yes, you learn about the things that you did well and the reason why you are there and the things
18:51that you can improve.
18:53But then every game and every time will be so specific that it's so difficult to replicate.
18:58You can have sets of memories but actually you have to apply your learnings in that moment.
19:04And that window is very small and you have to be very efficient.
19:09We obviously saw the FA Cup draw the other night which I think in the fan base has sort of
19:13stirred up talk of the quadruple again.
19:16Is that something you encourage your players to talk about or do you sort of say, look, don't talk about
19:20this?
19:22No, I don't use that phrase, don't talk about it. I don't know why they talk about it when I'm
19:26not there.
19:26But we all know the difficulty of every competition.
19:30It starts tomorrow, we are changing from competition to competition every three days.
19:35And so far we've done so well and we need to continue to do that.
19:39James Athletic.
19:41Hi, Mikel. We just had Kai in here talking about this club where he spent so much of his young
19:46life and his career.
19:47I just wondered how much did you see of Kai when he was here at Bayer Leverkusen and what were
19:52your impressions of him as a young player?
19:56Well, not too much to be fair because in our league and with the amount of games that we play,
20:02we don't have much time to analyse an individual player in a different country.
20:06But I did talk to him, he spent 10 incredible years here.
20:10The way he talks about the club, the people here, the culture, what he's learned and how part this journey
20:15was for him to continue his next chapter in England was capital.
20:22And yeah, a lot of learnings and I'm glad to see how people are receiving the moment he's walking around
20:28the building and I'm not surprised.
20:31And obviously he had some minutes at the weekend. How confident and happy are you that he's really approaching this
20:37run in his best condition?
20:39Yeah, now it's been three weeks that he had total consistency in terms of training, preparation and game time.
20:47And we're going to continue to load that because we know how Kai can impact this team.
20:52Nick from Sky.
20:54Kai spoke as well about how difficult the last year has been with his injuries.
20:59I mean, what's it been like to manage him during this period?
21:02Have you had to pick him up? Has it been something you've had to pay a lot of attention to
21:06even while he's been out?
21:07Yeah, it's been something new for him. When you look at his injury record, he's just blank. You know, he
21:15never had a muscle injury.
21:16And last year he had his hamstring injury that required the surgery and then the knee injury.
21:21So it's been a tough period. But as well, a lot of great things happen in his private life as
21:26well.
21:26And when you talk about a 15, 20 years career, you're going to have to go, unfortunately, most likely through
21:33these moments.
21:34And if there is a person that has the right combination of humbleness, patience and love for the game and
21:42a competitive edge,
21:43that's certainly Kai. And he had difficult moments, but that's why we are here and all his teammates and family
21:50are there.
21:51And now he needs to really enjoy all the work that is put in to see the results at the
21:56end of the season.
21:58Isan Dalimayo?
21:59Hi, Mikel. With the Champions League, we get to see a few minutes of the open training sessions before March
22:05Day.
22:05Obviously, today there was a clip of you slapping Declan Rice's back.
22:09And in these training sessions, there's often a lot of giggles, a lot of camaraderie.
22:13What's the kind of rationale behind doing all those kind of things?
22:17They very gently suggested that we have to go through that because of something that happened a few days ago.
22:23A bit of panther, a bit of fun, and they were right to do it.
22:27No, I'm not meaning that specific example. I'm just saying in general, in these sessions,
22:31there seems to be a lot of you or Heinze getting involved, quite a lot of fun.
22:35What's the impact of doing that?
22:38It's the interaction that we have with the players. We love, as I start working with them,
22:42I think that feeling is from both sides because they know, I think, how much we care about them.
22:51And the level of demands goes very closely with the level of support that they get.
22:56And I think the better that connection is, I think the bigger the chance is to achieve what we want.
23:01In some ways, does that show the camaraderie that is around this team and you guys in this present moment?
23:07Sorry?
23:07Does it show the camaraderie and togetherness of the team?
23:10I don't know. That's a part probably that you guys can see.
23:13But there is so much that has going on every single day.
23:17Some beautiful moments, some others that are very tough as well.
23:20But yeah, the objective that we have is clear.
23:23We have a fantastic group of people to do it and obviously a fantastic group of players.
23:29Okay, the last of you now. The gentleman with the cap at the back there.
23:32Hi, Arsenal are flying high. I'm doing very well in the Premier League and I'm playing brilliant football in the
23:41Champions League.
23:41The fans are dreaming again. But they've lived through this moment before where everything looked possible but somehow slipped away.
23:49As the leader of this project, do you sometimes harbour this fear that everything could somehow slip away or you
23:55genuinely feel that this group of players could write a different story for Arsenal Football Club?
24:01I leave the present and I prepare to what I expect and what I feel every single day with optimism,
24:10putting everything that I have and trying to transmit and inspire those players to feel the same way.
24:15And then this is football. We have to do it. There is so much to do. There is a lot
24:20that we have done.
24:21But the important part is coming now and it starts tomorrow.
24:25Okay, finally the gentleman there at the back.
24:28Patrick Scherer, Kölner Schotteranzeiger.
24:30Hi, Mikel. A good friend of yours, Xabi Alonso, had a very successful time here in Leverkusen.
24:36So my question is, did you talk to him about what you have to expect here tomorrow?
24:41I didn't want to put him in that position and I don't think it would have been fair.
24:45Obviously I have spoken a lot and I admire incredibly what he did for this club with this group of
24:51players because it was something historic and unique.
24:55But no, I haven't had the courage probably to speak to him and put him in that situation because I
25:02know how he's feeling about the club.
25:04And as well because I think we have two players as well that they've been with this club recently, with
25:08this team and they give us quite a lot of information.
25:12Okay, thanks everyone. See you tomorrow night guys.
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