Mikel Arteta will be delighted with the performance his Arsenal side produced in a pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen last night.
Arsenal recorded a 4-1 victory over the German champions at the Emirates Stadium, and were fully deserving of such an emphatic win.
A number of the Gunners’ key players stood out during the match. Gabriel Jesus wowed Arsenal fans with his performance, as the Brazilian striker got on the scoresheet with a strike from range, and generally led the line to great effect throughout the first half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko also showed signs that he is getting back to his best, whilst Leandro Trossard reminded Arsenal supporters of his devastating quality in front of goal.
However, perhaps the real star of the show for Mikel Arteta’s side was Kai Havertz. The German was able to record a goal and two assists against his former club, whilst also impressing in two positions throughout the match.
Arteta has hinted that Havertz will play in midfield on occasion this season. Last time around, when the 25-year-old first arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Chelsea, the manager tried to reinvent him as a midfielder in the left-eight berth just vacated by Granit Xhaka, who joined Bayer Leverkusen himself in a £21 million deal.
Kai Havertz is ready to replace Granit Xhaka at Arsenal
Last summer, Havertz arrived in North London looking bereft of confidence. Being asked to adapt to an unfamiliar role didn’t help, and he was never able to replicate Xhaka’s influence in that part of the pitch.
Havertz didn’t start impressing for the Gunners until he was pushed up into the striker position around the turn of the year, and he hasn’t looked back since.
It seems, though, that Arteta isn’t ready to give up on his midfield experiment. Pundits have insisted that Havertz is a striker, but he showed in the first half against the German side, as he set up goals for Zinchenko and Trossard, and competed well in his duels, that he can pull strings in the middle of the park.
In his final season at Arsenal, Xhaka had a real influence in the final third, and yet helped Arteta’s side maintain its structure and solidity. Havertz now looks as though he can accomplish this, vindicating the manager’s decision to let the Swiss star go.
After the break, the 51-cap Germany international went back up front, and capped his performance with a goal, showing great instincts to prod home from close range.
Havertz now looks like a player capable of transitioning seamlessly between playing as a midfielder and striker.
Conundrums facing Mikel Arteta
Whilst Havertz’s development solves one problem for Arteta, he has other selection dilemmas to address.
With Zinchenko looking to have stepped up his game at left-back, but with new signing Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Jakub Kiwior all vying for game time in that role, managing the situation will be challenging.
On top of that, he needs to find a way to keep both Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli happy with the minutes they are afforded.
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