Kai Havertz has drawn the praise of journalist and former Arsenal star Adrian Clarke for his recent performances.
Kai Havertz has really started to hit form for Arsenal in recent weeks.
The German had a difficult start to life in north London, following his arrival from Chelsea in the recent summer transfer window. Havertz had to endure plenty of criticism in his early days at Arsenal, as he looked to be woefully short on confidence and like an awkward tactical fit in Mikel Arteta’s system.
However, the 24-year-old now looks to have settled into the side and is beginning to show why Arteta invested so heavily in his services in the summer. The Germany international got on the scoresheet against Burnley last time out, as Arsenal coasted to a 5-0 victory at Turf Moor. Havertz took his goal well, nutmegging a Clarets defender before clipping the ball past James Trafford.
In the match prior to that, as Arsenal achieved a club-record 6-0 victory against West Ham United at the London Stadium, the former Chelsea man also impressed. On that occasion, the impact that Havertz had on that match may have flown a little under the radar, but he was still at the heart of much of what the Gunners did well in East London.
Bringing Leandro Trossard into the starting XI for the past two matches, in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus, seems to have brought the best out of Havertz. He and the Belgian have rapidly established an effective on-field relationship. Jesus has now been warned that he may struggle to get back into the team if Trossard can keep his current form going.
How Kai Havertz is making his presence felt at Arsenal
Havertz and Trossard complement one another with their movement and disparate attributes. Between them, they rotate regularly between the striker position and the left-eight midfield role. Both players are adept in either position, and the interchanging movement serves to confuse the opposition.
When Havertz is spearheading the attack, he can serve as a focal point for the team, and provide an outlet for long, aerial balls. Meanwhile, when Trossard is at the top of the pitch, Havertz can make runs from deep, arriving into the box late to provide an untracked goal threat.
Adrian Clarke, speaking on the Handrbrake Off podcast, has now had his say on Havertz’s progress, and his current importance to Arsenal. The former winger said, “you can’t put a label on Kai Havertz…we were mildly critical, saying that we expected more, and I think that that was a fair comment at the time…I think you just can’t pin him down to one position…He’s not a striker, he’s not a 10, he’s not really an 8, he’s somewhere in between all of them and Arteta, I think, knew that all along and has just tried to find a formula that suits.”
“He’s making things happen through getting into the right areas…He makes more runs, pretty much, than anyone else…when you look at his body language, you just wouldn’t expect that, but he’s always moving…He gives us an element of unpredictability, I think, compared to certain players.”
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