Arsenal star was the best player vs Liverpool but Arteta played him in wrong position

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Arsenal ended their pre-season in the United States with a defeat against Liverpool, but one player looked very good.

The Gunners were involved in three games on the other side of the pond. They were held to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in the opening fixture but picked up a good win when they faced Manchester United.

Mikel Arteta would’ve surely loved to sign off with a win, but goals from Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho gave Arne Slot’s Liverpool a 2-1 victory. Kai Havertz scored Arsenal’s goal just before half-time.

We need to have a conversation about the German’s performance and role in the side following the defeat in Philadelphia.

Kai Havertz was Arsenal’s best player vs Liverpool

Havertz was handed his first start in pre-season against Liverpool late on Wednesday night.

The Germany international played most of the second half of the 2023/24 season as a striker, and many Arsenal fans will argue that’s his best position.

However, against Liverpool, Arteta decided to deploy Havertz as a left-sided number-eight – a position he struggled in last season.

That being said, Havertz was outstanding for Arsenal against Liverpool.

The German didn’t get on the ball a lot in the first half, but his defensive contribution was absolutely incredible. He was simply brilliant without the ball.

Havertz worked extremely hard throughout his time on the pitch, and his goal to bring the game back to 2-1 was just the icing on the cake.

It was a great way for Havertz to end Arsenal’s USA tour, but there is still one thing we are not really happy with.

Arteta should stop using Havertz in midfield.

Arteta needs to change Havertz’s position

Havertz deserves all the praise in the world for his performance against Liverpool, but we really hope Arteta doesn’t change his mind about the German’s role in the team.

The former Chelsea man scored from inside the box in a striker’s position and he made a great forward’s run in behind early in the game as well.

That’s where Havertz is at his best, and we think he should be Arsenal’s main centre-forward in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

The imminent signing of Mikel Merino will hopefully cement Havertz’s place at the top end of the pitch.

However, after seeing his performance against Liverpool, we won’t be surprised at all to see Arteta use him in midfield again at some point in the upcoming campaign.