In the past three years, Kai Havertz has never played in such a stable system.
Kai Havertz has come under some criticism after a rather lackluster Premier League opening game against Nottingham Forest. Even when all the positive things came to Arsenal in the opening match, the German player was still “under scrutiny”.
Arsenal spent £65 million to sign Havertz.
He was the second most expensive player in Gunners history, before Declan Rice landed at Emirates. Arsenal have a reason to spend £ 65 million on a player who has scored in the Champions League final.
Even so, despite starting against Man City in the Community Shield match last week, Havertz still received a lot of criticism for not being able to make good use of his opportunities. A week later, in the first game at the Emirates, things were even worse.
However, all are just prejudices that fans have for the former Chelsea player. Havertz didn’t really do anything wrong against Nottingham Forest. The position he was entrusted with was a ‘virtual 9’, not a center forward. He had little communication with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, but still constantly created situations to run behind the opponent’s defense. Havertz is also a threat to the opposition’s defense in set pieces.
It wasn’t Havertz’s best performance, but from the reaction he’s received from fans, it seems they’ve been a bit harsh, even judging what hasn’t happened yet.
In fact, it’s been more than a month since Havertz joined and spent the pre-season with Arsenal. Unlike at Chelsea, where he mainly played as a striker, he is now included in the midfield to replace Granit Xhaka. This will take time to adapt. Havertz himself has admitted to the media about the problem.
“Last year I played a more number nine but I’m used to the midfield position because I played there since I was young,” he told football.london after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Nuremberg in July.
It must also be added that, since coming to England to play football, Havertz has never played in a stable system. He had his peak with Chelsea, but that was the year that Havertz mainly played as a false 9. In the Premier League 2020/21, Havertz has 4 shots. In the Champions League, that number is extremely modest: 1 time only. However, that goal put Chelsea to the top of Europe.
In the next two seasons, Chelsea encountered events from the top floor to the steering bench. Havertz’s failure to maintain excellence on the pitch is easily understandable.
In short, in the last two years, because of his versatility, Havertz has always been placed in positions that are not his forte. His Chelsea is also not stable for the German player to develop to his full potential. At Emirates, the story could be different, as the Gunners start to roll. Wait until May for an overview of Havertz. Any bad comments about him right now come from past prejudices.