Only a handful of the 11 Arsenal stars who took part at Euro 2024 remain in Germany as the tournament approaches its denouement.
Arsenal are still represented by five players at Euro 2024. William Saliba and goalkeeper David Raya will go head-to-head this evening in a semi-final clash, representing France and Spain, respectively.
Meanwhile, the English trio from the Emirates Stadium, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Aaron Ramsdale, will be part of Gareth Southgate’s squad when the Three Lions face off against the Netherlands on Wednesday evening for the right to take a place in the final of the competition.
Plenty of Mikel Arteta’s players have impressed in Germany. Saka made himself a hero for England against Switzerland last time out, whilst Saliba has proven that he belongs on the biggest stage.
However, other Gunners endured a more difficult time at the Euros. Kieran Tierney’s campaign was cut short by injury, as Scotland were dismally dumped out during the group stage. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz was handed the responsibility of leading the line for the host nation, but could not do enough to fire Germany to glory on home turf.
Havertz did score twice for his country during their campaign in the competition, which was ultimately ended by Spain at the quarter-final stage, but both of his goals came from the spot. The numbers suggest that the Arsenal man ought to have been able to offer more.
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz leads one key Euro 2024 stat
Whilst the 25-year-old was clinical from the spot, he was wasteful during in open play. He had multiple opportunities to add to his tally throughout the competition, but lacked a clinical touch.
This is reflected in the numbers. According to FBRef statistics, Havertz amassed a greater xG figure than any other player in the competition has managed so far. He leads the way with 4.1 expected goals, trailed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 3.6, then Kylian Mbappe on 2.7.
Havertz was lauded for how he led the line for Germany in some respects. He offers intelligent movement, holds the ball up well, and links play neatly. His presence in the team improves those around him. Ultimately, though, when it came to goalscoring, he fell short.
Mikel Arteta must take note of Havertz profligacy
Havertz shone as a striker for Arsenal in the second half of last season, and chipped in with some vital goals. He is never going to be most prolific forward, though, and the Gunners need a more efficient option in their ranks to who can work in tandem with the German.
Arsenal failed to signed Benjamin Sesko this summer, but Arteta cannot afford to give up on sourcing a new striker, as it is clear where Havertz’s deficiencies are, and it will surely come to haunt Arsenal if they ignore this warning.
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