Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso labelled long-time friend Mikel Arteta as a “competitive animal” after Arsenal thrashed the German champions in a pre-season friendly.
The Gunners won 4-1 on home soil in North London in what was described as a “wake-up call” by the former midfielder.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all scored in the first half but Kai Havertz netted a fourth in the 65th minute.
Leverkusen pulled a consolation back 15 minutes from time but it was a poor performance by their standards after losing just one game last season.
After the match, Alonso praised Arteta’s work at Arsenal.
“A big punch in the face and a wake-up call”
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso reflects on 4-1 defeat to Arsenal last night in pre-season 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/TmsTrLfiuh
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 8, 2024
He said: “Competitive. He has been always a competitive animal.
“Here you can see how he has developed a great project.
“You could see that he wanted to win and he was preparing for that, you know. It is a fruit of many decisions that he has taken that they reach here in Arsenal.”
Arteta is hoping to finally end Manchester City’s reign as Premier League champions in 2024-25 and has added Riccardo Calafiori to his ranks this summer.
With the defence now stacked, attention can turn to the midfield and attack as Arsenal look to close the gap on Pep Guardiola’s side.
Their opening fixture next weekend is against Wolves in front of a sold-out home crowd but they will first play a few more pre-season friendlies to get their fitness up to scratch.
