Tag: Kai

Havertz has not quite delivered on that promise, nor the hype he carried when he left Bayer Leverkusen for Chelsea in 2020. For that reason he has divided opinion, particularly as Arsenal’s attack smoulders unconvincingly, and clamour grows for a striker with a spark.

There are legitimate criticisms of Havertz, who has predominantly been deployed as a striker this year. Of his 14 goals this season, only one has come against high-quality opposition: Paris Saint-Germain.

Against Tottenham Hotspur (twice), Manchester City, Manchester United (twice), Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Newcastle United (twice), he has failed to score.

Arteta is appreciative of all the unsung work Havertz does off the ball

DAVID PRICE/ARSENAL FC/GETTY

Havertz averages only 2.47 shots per game, with 0.98 of those hitting the target; a striker that tests the goalkeeper once a match is hardly going to propel a team towards a league title, critics say.

These efforts are often high-quality chances — take the close-range header he directed at José Sá in the first half against Wolves, or the header at the near post that flashed the wrong side of the woodwork in the second half — reflected in his expected-goals tally of 0.19 per shot — higher than Mohamed Salah (0.17), equal with Erling Haaland and a touch behind the league’s most in-form striker, Alexander Isak (0.21).

But a critical difference between them and Havertz is that they shoot (and hit the target) more frequently.

Of the players in the league with as many goals as Havertz (eight) or more this season, only three average a lower shot rate — Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood, Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap — all of whom play for teams who cannot provide a constant supply line.

Yet for all the focus on Havertz, his team-mates in the forward line, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, did not have a single shot on goal against Wolves either. However, as a defensive unit, they were formidable.

If there is one quality that defines Arteta’s Arsenal it is their intensity without possession. Upon losing the ball, and with an opponent breaking forward, Arsenal surge towards their penalty area, forcing opponents into a cul-de-sac, blocking their route to goal with a mass of bodies.

While the attack may not be functioning as efficiently as hoped, Arsenal’s defensive work is keeping alive their title dreams, and it starts from the front, with Havertz.

When Arsenal were reduced to ten men on Saturday, after Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card before half-time, Havertz had the thankless task of pressing Wolves’ centre backs on his own.

With three central defenders and two midfielders behind him, it was physically taxing and tactically demanding — he needed to keep abreast of the positioning and passing angles of the midfielders while harrying the defenders.

Yet Wolves, with an additional man, rarely penetrated Arsenal through the middle, thanks largely to Havertz’s tireless work.

One example of Havertz’s often underappreciated contributions came in the 53rd minute. Wolves had a free kick in their own half. They played short and Havertz kicked into gear. First, he screened a potential pass into André, forcing the ball back towards Bueno, whom he closed down.

As the ball circulated wide, Trossard ran forward, blocked the long pass upfield, and Havertz contested the second ball — collected by Thomas Partey. In less than a second the German was running at the Wolves defence, creating space for Declan Rice to run into the penalty area and shoot.

Rice benefits from the space that Havertz creates with his intelligent movement

ANDREW KEARNS/CAMERASPORT /GETTY

Havertz did not touch the ball in the entire sequence, yet he was critical to it. That endeavour is not easily replaced; a new striker may add shots and goals, but will they ensure the team remain near-impregnable, even with only ten men?

Arsenal’s past two title challenges have been built upon defending from the front; remove Havertz from that and opponents will sense opportunity. Deduct Havertz from Arsenal’s set pieces and they lose a key aerial threat and a critical defensive component.

Subtract him from the team in open play and those wonderful arced crosses that Bukayo Saka delivers to the back post are suddenly a touch less threatening without the 6ft 3in German heading the ball back across goal for a team-mate.

A new striker may have finished those chances Havertz spurned, but the key question is: can they improve the team as much as he does?