Kai Havertz finally found the net for Arsenal at the weekend and the relief for all was clearly evident.
If there’s one thing that footballers rely on it’s confidence. Havertz, by the end of his Chelsea tenure, clearly had none and it was therefore somewhat obvious that he was going to take time to get it back.
One of Mikel Arteta’s strengths appears to be the support that he gives to all of his players, and he’s been clear as to his expectations of his summer signing whilst also making sure to publicly show that the squad and management team are behind him.
CaughtOffside columnist, Ben Jacobs, believes that finding the solution to the Havertz ‘problem’ should actually be relatively easy.
“In my view, Havertz is probably most effective as a false nine, allowing him to drop deeper and link up with wide players,” he said in his exclusive Daily Briefing column.
“And he has all the attributes to be a No.8 or a No.10. These positions play to one of Havertz’s biggest strengths, which is to make incisive, well-timed runs into the box.
“[…]To get the best out of Havertz, Arteta first needs to be consistent. Is he a starter or a game-impact player off the bench? Is he a No.9, a false nine, a No.10, or a No.8 in a 4-3-3?”
Of course, Havertz will understand that if he continues to underwhelm then there will come a point when he may need to look for alternative employment.
For Havertz, Arteta, Arsenal and their supporters, the hope will be that it’s a scenario that doesn’t even need to be contemplated, and that he can begin to show the form that saw Chelsea firstly and Arsenal latterly spend a decent amount of transfer fee for his services.
Jacobs’ ideas aren’t without merit and it will be interesting to note which role Arteta decides that fits his player best.