Although Paul Merson maintains that Kai Havertz performs best as a center forward, he has acknowledged that the way Mikel Arteta is utilizing him in his Arsenal team has shocked him.
When speaking to Sky Sports, Merson was receiving criticism for the German international’s sluggish start at the Emirates.
Following his transfer to Arsenal, Kai Havertz needed to get started right away. At Chelsea, he had experienced hardship. And for a lot of money, he changed to the Emirates. It was clear that the Gunners were taking a very big risk.
It is obviously far too early to dismiss Havertz completely. But there’s no denying that he’s off to a really dismal start. Following a subpar performance against Fulham, Havertz received more criticism over the weekend.
Merson is perplexed by Arteta’s use of Havertz.
Merson, however, is obviously of the opinion that Arteta is doing him no favors at all. The pundit insisted that he saw absolutely no logic in playing Havertz on the left side of the midfield.
He expressed surprise at Kai Havertz’s position in a statement to Sky Sports. “Not even in my wildest dreams did I anticipate that. I love Havertz very much. He can score goals; in Germany, he scored many of them. He is a center-forward. He is unable to play to the left. “.
Havertz failed to make much of an impression as a striker for Arsenal last year, which is a problem. In the Community Shield, he performed admirably. But he also squandered two golden opportunities.
To choose him over someone like Eddie Nketiah, who is scoring goals for the Gunners, would therefore be risky.
In the last few years, Arteta and Edu have largely succeeded in getting transfers right. Therefore, there is still a strong possibility that Havertz will succeed once things start to work in his favor.
But Arsenal has so much talent in that part of the field. Therefore, he can no longer have a minimal impact. If not, Arteta will undoubtedly be forced to change.
Also read…
Mikel Arteta responds to Arsenal’s criticism of Kai Havertz
After having a difficult afternoon against Fulham, Mikel Arteta has given Kai Havertz the support of Arsenal fans.
At the Emirates Stadium, Andreas Pereira capitalized on a mistake by Bukayo Saka to score the opening goal, leaving the Gunners trailing right away.
With the help of Saka’s penalty and Eddie Nketiah’s first goal of the year, Arsenal eventually tied the score before taking the lead, but they were unable to hold on as Fulham’s Calvin Bassey was dismissed in his first Premier League start for Arsenal.
Fulham’s equalizer was scored by Joao Palhinha, who took advantage of Arsenal’s lapse in focus to earn Fulham a crucial point and a 2-2 draw.
One of the game’s most notable talking points was the audible annoyance directed at summer acquisition Havertz, who attracted the ire of the crowd by playing the ball backwards rather than forward. The German had a difficult afternoon because despite frequently appearing in advantageous situations without ever having a significant impact on the game.
When asked in the press conference following the game if he was concerned that the Arsenal supporters were already turning against Havertz, Arteta brushed the question off and backed Havertz to succeed given enough time.
“No, I saw a move where he played backwards and had the option to turn.
We had a win-at-all-costs mentality, so I believe that was what everyone was under more pressure to do, according to Arteta.
He continued, “Yes, I think so. I believe he has already made some excellent decisions. In some parts of today, it was difficult. Although he was in excellent positions, the ball never came. He ought to have already scored many goals this season in a number of circumstances. The thing that’s missing there is that. “.
Nketiah, who was benched in favor of Leandro Trossard at the beginning of the game but came on at halftime after the former Brighton forward had put on a lackluster 45-minute performance, received special praise from Arteta.
When asked about Nketiah’s impact, Arteta said, “He looks like a real threat right now. He is confident and in a good mood. The moment I told him he would be arriving in the second half, I could immediately see the fire in his eyes. He has a good eye for goal, and his execution of the action was excellent.
“It’s challenging to omit any of the players. Numerous players who have yet to play are on the bench, in my opinion. Even though we only meet once per week now, our preparation will be very different when we start meeting twice weekly. “.
For more updates, we are at your service all day long and all night long.
