Karen Carney has now provided an insight into why Kai Havertz is a good tactical fit at Arsenal.
Kai Havertz has endured a challenging start to his Arsenal career.
The German came in for criticism from Gary Neville for his performance against Liverpool on Sunday, when he was tasked with leading the line by Mikel Arteta.
However, there is an argument that Havertz in fact executed his duties excellently against the Reds, and his interpretation of the false nine role created plenty of space for the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to exploit.
The 24-year-old was not perfect against the Merseyside outfit, as his finishing still leaves a lot to be desired, but his ability to press effectively and use his physicality to unsettle opponents helped the Gunners to dominate the majority of that all-important Premier League clash.
Despite being an attacker, what Havertz brings to this Arsenal side defensively is particularly important.
That is certainly the view of Karen Carney. Speaking to Premier League Productions, the former England international said, “I think Mikel Arteta is a defensive coach. I think Kai Havertz gets a lot of criticism as an attacking player for his output, but he does an incredible role defensively for the team, cutting off that side of the pitch, I think he was brilliant as well out of possession.”
What Kai Havertz can offer to Arsenal
The data backs up Carney’s point. According to Sofascore statistics, Havertz competed for 12 aerial duels and 12 ground duels against Liverpool. No Arsenal player competed for more duels of either description. Even if he did not always win these individual battles, the former Chelsea man was able to make his presence felt and consistently hampered the visitors in their attempts to win and maintain possession of the ball.
There are certainly areas of Havertz’s game that need to improve. Given his technical ability and physical qualities, he should be more of a consistent goal threat. However, he does provide a lot of what Arteta asks of him, in a manner which often goes unappreciated or under the radar entirely.
One question that remains about the 42-cap Germany international, though, is where his best position on the pitch actually is. Whilst he was used up front, at least in a nominal sense, against Liverpool, due to the absence of Gabriel Jesus, he has primarily been deployed as a midfielder this season. There are pros and cons to fielding Havertz in either role.
If Havertz is to truly make a long-term success of his Arsenal career as a regular starter, he needs to nail down one position as his own and find a way to impress on a regular basis.
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