Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin was unimpressed with Mikel Arteta’s recent use of Arsenal player Kai Havertz.
Kai Havertz was included in the Arsenal starting XI that took on Liverpool in an FA Cup clash on Sunday.
The Gunners were knocked out of the domestic cup competition, falling to a 2-0 defeat against the Reds at the Emirates Stadium. However, it could have been a very different story had Havertz been more clinical in front of goal.
The German had multiple chances to put the hosts ahead, but failed to find the back of the net. The 24-year-old was not alone in being guilty of wasting chances. As has become an unfortunate recent trend for the north London club, their finishing was wayward across the board.
However, given he was tasked with leading the line against the Reds by Mikel Arteta, much of the responsibility for scoring fell upon Havertz’s shoulders, and he failed to deliver.
Havertz has rarely been deployed as a striker since joining Arsenal. Instead, Arteta has preferred to use the 42-cap Germany international in an advanced midfield role. After a difficult start, Havertz looked to have found his feet in the position in the last couple of months, and has even proven some of his more outspoken critics wrong.
Throughout his time at Chelsea, he was generally used as a striker though, with limited success. Whilst he had some big moments up front for the Blues, notably bagging a Champions League-winning goal, he never looked particularly comfortable in the position and was never able to score consistently.
Why did Mikel Arteta pick Kai Havertz as his striker against Liverpool?
With Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah both struggling in front of goal themselves, it is understandable why Arteta opted to use Havertz up front against Liverpool. He gives the Gunners something different, as he is able to operate as a target man of sorts, using his 6’4” frame to hold up the ball. According to his teammate Jorginho, Havertz is also deceptively strong and fast, giving opposition defenders something else to worry about.
However, as far as Pat Nevin is concerned, it has already been proven beyond any doubt that Havertz is not at his best when playing as a striker. Speaking on Off The Ball, the former Scotland international said, “Havertz is not a centre-forward. I’ll say it forever and ever and ever. He scores coming onto the ball, he’s not a guy who gets the ball, moves it quickly and slams it into the top corner, he’s not good at that. He’s one of those players, he looks so much worse when he’s up there, I can understand why they tried it, he’s tall and all that other stuff, but not the right person for it.”
On top of that, with Leandro Trossard struggling to produce his best form and Emile Smith Rowe seemingly lacking the trust of Arteta, Havertz is needed in the middle of the park, which would suggest that his use up front is not part of a long-term plan.
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