Arsenal’s strike force, which mainly consists of Kai Havertz, remains the only doubt in Mikel Arteta’s title-challenging side – despite a near-perfect start to the season.
German striker Kai Havertz gave his side the lead in Arsenal’s 1-1 home draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, after opening his account for the season against Wolves on the opening day.
Fellow forwards Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard have also found the scoresheet this season, as Arteta’s side picked up seven points out of nine heading into the international break.
The talent of Arteta’s wide players has never been in doubt. Alongside Saka and Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli is also a headache for opposition fullbacks. With the Gunners loaning in Raheem Sterling on deadline day, not many sides can match Arsenal’s squad depth on the wings.
However, the striking abilities of Havertz continue to be questioned. Arteta is clearly improving the former Chelsea man, but one of Arsenal’s iconic Invincibles has lingering doubts about his credentials.
Emmanuel Petit worries that Kai Havertz makes Arsenal ‘predictable’
Speaking with Squawka, Arsenal Legend Emmanuel Petit praised Havertz, but admitted he still has concerns about the Gunners’ striking options.
He said: “I’m very happy with Kai Havertz’s start to the season so far, I think he’s doing well. But we saw on Saturday [against Brighton] that Arteta and Arsenal need a plan B up front.
“They need someone up front, a typical striker that can convert chances. You get the feeling sometimes that Arsenal are predictable for the opponents when they are not playing well. So they need a plan B and at the moment they don’t have one.”
The injured Gabriel Jesus could provide this ‘plan B’ but with Havertz cemented as Arteta’s first-choice striker, Petit’s worries will remain.
Havertz’s physical presence, as well as his ability on the ball, make him an ideal option for the Arsenal Manager’s control-style football.
The 25-year-old has yet to prove he has a prolific goalscoring streak in his locker, though, with one key stat needing to improve to ease Petit’s worries.
Crucial stat Kai Havertz must improve on to ease Emmanuel Petit’s concerns
Unfortunately for Havertz, Arsenal’s main title rivals Manchester City have Erling Haaland leading their line. This means that he must be compared with the Norweigan superstar in the hunt for the Premier League crown.
So far this season, Havertz is only taking 1.67 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League in comparison to Haaland’s 4.68.
However, their shot accuracy percentages are not too dissimilar. Havertz has seen an impressive 60% of his shots find the target this season and whilst he still trails Haaland’s outrageous 71% accuracy, he has improved his own stat by 5% compared with last season.
It is clear therefore that Havertz is an acceptably accurate striker for a club of Arsenal’s calibre. Where he must improve then is the number of shots he is taking per match.
He has averaged 6.33 touches in the opposition’s box per match so far this season, if he can convert just a few more of those touches into shots then his accuracy should see him scoring at an impressive rate at the Emirates Stadium this season.
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