Arsenal were poor as they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup against West Ham, and whilst a lot of players didn’t cover themselves in glory, one has now been slammed for his performance.
Kai Havertz has struggled since his £65m move from Chelsea in the summer, and he was disappointing yet again as Arsenal fell to a 3-1 defeat.
The 24-year-old started in a midfield role, and after an initially bright start, continued to struggle in attacking situations as Arsenal created more than the hosts in the first half, but found themselves 1-0 down.
Havertz slammed following Arsenal defeat
The Evening Standard gave Havertz a rating of 5/10 for his display, and highlighted how his influence on the match waned as the game went on.
“Went close to scoring on two occasions in the first-half with headers. Faded after the break, though, and was anonymous at times,” they stated.
His performance saw him get on the end of a few crosses from Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson, but he often failed to hit the target or successfully create once receiving the ball in attacking areas.
Havertz’s lack of confidence
The German international has struggled with his form and confidence for a while, dating back to his early Chelsea days.
It is reflected in his play, that whenever he is in attacking positions with the ball, that he is finding it difficult to make a meaningful contribution in front of goal.
Havertz has scored just once this season, a penalty against Bournemouth, and he is being heavily criticised by Arsenal fans.
His lack of form does raise the question of why Arsenal chose to sign a player who was already low on confidence and out of form; perhaps Mikel Arteta believed that a change of environment could spark him back into life, but so far, his move to the Emirates has seen him continue to struggle.
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