How Mikel Arteta’s tactical genius turned Kai Havertz into Arsenal’s most important player
KAI HAVERTZ was the star of the show as Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table with a rout of a lacklustre Chelsea.
The Gunners ran out 5-0 winners over their London rivals on Tuesday night thanks to a Leandro Trossard strike and braces from Ben White and Havertz.
Havertz endured a difficult start to life at the Emirates after his big-money move from Chelsea but has now well and truly found his feet.
The German’s second-half strikes against his former club took his tally to season to 12 goals in 47 appearances, a haul which seemed unfathomable just a few months ago.
But the 24-year-old has provided much more than goals in recent months.
Leading the line
Mikel Arteta initially deployed Havertz on the left of his midfield three but he struggled to make any sort of impact.
But now that he’s leading the line, he’s flourished and has played a big part in the glut of goals the Gunners are scoring.
The North Londoners have found the back of the net a whopping 26 TIMES since Havertz became the focal point two months ago.
And the way things are going, they’ll add plenty more goals to that impressive haul.
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Link up play
Havertz isn’t just shining with his goalscoring exploits, he’s also helping his team-mates find the back of the net.
His hold-up play and ability to drop deep has allowed the likes of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to get in on the goalscoring act.
The German’s knack for finding space to receive the ball and creating openings for his comrades has paid major dividends for Arteta, who was lambasted for splashing out £65million to acquire his services.
Hot off the press
Arsenal have become masters in winning the ball back in transitions and turning those positions into goalscoring opportunities this season.
And that’s in no small part thanks to Havertz’s tactical and methodical leading of the press.
He doesn’t just run around like a headless chicken, he closes the opposition down when he knows he’s got support behind him.
But crucially, he only presses when the holding midfielder in Rice and the defence are set.
Tactical runs
Havertz has become attuned to Arsenal’s reliance on getting the ball out wide to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli,
And his runs across the centre-back – instead of the traditional one in behind – have yielded great results.
They either create space for a runner in behind or drag the entire defence in a single direction.
Final verdict
Havertz’ transformation has been nothing short of remarkable – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Emirates faithful.
Arteta is rumoured to be in the market for a new frontman this summer, with SunSport understanding a swoop for Ivan Toney has been contemplated.
But with Havertz scoring and helping create goals galore, the Spaniard would be a fool to drop £100m on the wantaway Brentford man.