Arsenal are back in pre-season training, and there have already been some notable takeaways from these early training sessions.
Albert Sambi Lokonga has, surprisingly, been spotted back in training, while Declan Rice is training on his own at the moment as he works individually.
However, one of the most discussed points of this trip to La Manga has been the physical change of one key Arsenal player.
Indeed, Kai Havertz has seriously bulked up this summer, and many fans have noticed that the German is looking more built than ever before.
Havertz had been criticised for being weak in the past, but now, he looks absolutely huge.
However, packing on muscle in this way may not be for the best.
Kai Havertz may be making the same mistake as Petr Cech
Havertz has packed on some serious muscle over the summer, and while you always want your strikers to be strong, there’s a fine line between being strong and being muscle-bound.
Much like Havertz, a few years ago, Petr Cech came back to pre-season looking more muscular than ever, and he admitted on Ben Foster’s Podcast that he did overdo it in the gym.
“Yeah, we went because we went on holiday. And me and my wife, when we are on holiday, we never really sit on the beach. We always like when we when we pick holiday, it has to have a good facility, gym,” Cech said.
“And so on holiday, I would go literally gym and then beach. So that would be my thing. And I probably overdid it in that.
“But at the same time, you know, when you you don’t sometimes realise, but in the recent years, the the shirts gets more slim fitting, everything is tight.”
Cech overdid his workouts in that summer, and, in turn, that did affect his performances, and Havertz could now end up in the same boat after undergoing a serious physical transformation.
What Mikel Arteta said about Kai Havertz’s physicality
Havertz had previously been instructed to put on more muscle by Arsenal.
Indeed, according to the Evening Standard, Havertz was told to bulk up earlier this year when he was out injured.
Mikel Arteta even commented on how the player’s body has changed.
“There’s been a transformation in his body,” Arteta said.
“The last three years in his career have been so condensed that he hasn’t had time to do that and this has been a window and he really wanted to use it.
“He got on board with that, he worked hard, you can see his presence and I think he destroyed all the metrics that we had in the gym for the last 10 years.
“All of them – power, acceleration, muscle mass. The way that he has increased certain capacities in his body, his agility, he’s been incredible.”
Arteta was happy with the shape Havertz was in towards the end of last season, but, it would appear he’s bulked up even further over the summer, and there’s a risk that he may not have got the balance right here.
Of course, Havertz and the Arsenal sports science team know what they are doing, but when you’re changing your body in this way, you need to make sure you’re not sacrificing other areas of your game in order to become more powerful and strong.
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