Kai Havertz scored twice as Germany ran riot in a 7-1 demolition of Curacao at the World Cup, winning the player of the match award in the process.
And his Germany teammate Nico Schlotterbeck has revealed exactly what makes him such a nightmare to play against.
Schlotterbeck was also among the scorers as they cruised past the World Cup’s smallest ever nation.
Speaking via the Germany national team’s official media, the defender highlighted a quality of Havertz’s game that often goes unnoticed.
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“Kai is fast. Very fast. People don’t really realise it, but he’s very fast,” Schlotterbeck said.
“From a defender’s point of view, when you’re defending against centre-forwards you think about how they can hurt you, and my problem with Kai was that he’s fast, so he can run in behind, but he can also battle with you physically.
“He wins aerial duels and he can drop deep because he’s good at combining with teammates. He also has that number ten quality and can dictate the game.
“That’s why I always had problems defending Kai, because he’s simply an incredible player.”
Havertz offers Mikel Arteta so much tactical flexibility that few number nines in the world can match.
He can rotate wide or drop deep against a low block, operate as a target man against a high press, or run the channels and occupy centre-backs in transition.
All that and he is deceptively fast, something Schlotterbeck specifically says is underappreciated.
Kai Havertz should be Arsenal’s undisputed number nine next season
Something has changed in Havertz this year. There was a point not long ago where fans would have had little faith in him converting a chance like his second goal against Curacao.
Now, watching him bear down on goal, there is conviction that he is going to find the net.
Arteta will be hoping Havertz comes out of the World Cup unscathed and gets a full pre-season under his belt, heading into next season completely fit.
If he does, he has all the attributes to truly explode as a centre-forward, particularly with combination players around him.
Morgan Rogers, similarly deceptively quick thanks to his long strides and intelligent movement, could form a devastating partnership with Havertz should he join Arsenal.
A more composed Havertz, playing only as a centre-forward, should realistically be aiming to hit 25 goals across all competitions next season, while still facilitating others around him.
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