Ahead of the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday, Bayer Leverkusen’s manager, Kasper Hjulmand, has disclosed his conversation with Arsenal’s set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover.
In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 last week, Bayer Leverkusen scored from a corner against Arsenal.
Jover, the Gunners’ set-piece coach, expressed surprise at the tactics employed by the German team and engaged in a discussion with their head coach, Hjulmand.
“It’s not about Arsenal, it’s about the rules. We do the same. All teams do. We set up offensive blocks, we body-check to create space, and I am merely questioning whether that is legal?” he stated to reporters prior to the Champions League second leg, as reported by Sky Sports.
“Is it actually permissible under the rules to take players out who do not have the ball? So he simply remarked, ‘you do it too, right?’ It applies to all teams. We are all engaging in it.”
Arsenal secured a draw at the Bay Arena last week and will host the Bundesliga team on Tuesday in the second leg at the Emirates.
The Gunners enter the match following a 2-0 victory over Everton in the Premier League