Former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin has now admitted that he is completely flummoxed by one Arsenal star.
Arsenal ace Kai Havertz is hard to pigeonhole as a player.
The German has struggled to nail down any single position as his own throughout his career. In his time at Chelsea, he was generally used as a striker. After his arrival at the Emirates Stadium in the recent summer transfer window, Mikel Arteta reinvented the 24-year-old as an attacking midfielder, handing him the left-eight berth vacated by Granit Xhaka.
In recent weeks, Havertz has found top form as a false-nine, as he floats between the midfield role alongside Martin Odegaard and pushing forward to spearhead the attack. There are also other deceptive elements to his game. He is faster and stronger than he looks. His languid body language belies his hard-working, high-pressing nature as a player. Havertz has recently been likened to Mesut Ozil and Dimitar Berbatov, who both also felt defined by their relaxed body language at times.
Havertz has been hailed for his improvement in recent weeks. His physicality, hold-up play, and pressing ability bring a new dimension to the Arsenal attack. There is now an argument that the £280,000-a-week star ought to be considered the Gunners’ first-choice striker, even ahead of Gabriel Jesus, who has recently returned from injury.
Kai Havertz confounds pundits with Arsenal role
Dion Dublin has now confessed that he finds Havertz difficult to define as a player. Speaking on Premier League Productions, the pundit said that the Germany international is one of the most baffling players “I think in Premier League history since 1992, we don’t know where he plays or what he does. He just comes up with odd moments that mean a lot. He comes up with a good goal at the end. I’m not sure where he plays or what he does.”
Arsenal need Havertz to be at his best this evening when they will welcome Porto to the Emirates Stadium for the second-leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie. The Portuguese outfit already hold a 1-0 aggregate advantage heading into this evening’s fixture, meaning that the Gunners have no margin for error in this game.
One consequence of Havertz leading the line in Jesus’ absence has been that it has created an opportunity for Declan Rice to push higher up the pitch too, to great effect. The former West Ham United man has shown that he can offer a real threat in the final third.
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