Jesus is a wide player now Kai is ********ing world class and we just have to accept it. Kai Havertz has now been directly involved in 20 goals in 20 Premier League games as a striker for Arsenal.He is averaging a goal or assist every 82 minutes in the Premier League as a ST.Top, top player. 🇩🇪⚽️ pic.twitter.com/hPx81fmXea— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 5, 2024
Because he is so much better at CF. It'd be like moving Saka to fullback in an injury crisis. Only an idiot would do that.
I think this past summer was the last chance to get anything significant for him. The more he plays, the more he shows he's done. At least in the EPL.
Is he? Some of those games that we’re talking about he hasn’t played at center forward, tho. He’s playing multiple positions at the same time even when he is playing 9. He’s just great.
Yes! Lined up in midfield last season, he had 6 goals, 0 assists in 32 games. Lined up as a center forward, he had 8 goals and 7 assists in 18 games. In the league, we won all but one game when he started there. The one exception was City away. It's such a stark difference that I genuinely can't see the counter-argument.
But he was also finding his way in the team for most of those midfield appearances last season. Today he played in midfield, scored a great goal and did a man’s work in general play.
Since Odegaard's injury we appear to be in a 442 shape most of the time so I wouldn't say Kai is in the Odegaard role. But it doesn't matter. He's excellent. Mikel is showing growth as a manager by changing shape and approach.
I don't think is "position" has changed. The structure has given him CF like responsibilities but I think he's playing the same position more or less. Part of that I think was easing him into being one of the players who needs to score a goal every other game.
Klopp said we were in a 4-4-2 with ‘dual 10’s’ when we beat them last season. As a related aside: the way I tell who’s playing ‘forward’ or ‘midfield’ between Kai and Leo is whichever one is on the right. When Øde is playing he is obviously on the right and is usually higher than Kai in terms of average position. Kai is on the right and higher than Leo generally now,
It's a 4-4-2 when defending/pressing and Havertz is part of that front two, in build up it's still a 4-3-3, except not really because of the inverting fullback, it's a 3-2-2-3, more or less. Arteta's best line-up has to include Saka, Havertz, Rice and Odegaard. Add two of Trossard, Martinelli, Partey and/or Merino. Trossard at false 9 and Martinelli at LW is the only combo that has Havertz in midfield. Havertz would be really good on the wing but then he wouldn't be part of the press so I doubt we ever see it.
These games are bound to happen though, Liverpool for all their domination only won 0-1 and Palace had a few quality chances to equalise but bottled it, and City were down 0-1 before they got up and even then Fulham nearly pinched a point despite them dominating. No one wins the league in October, but you can lose it. Jesus was good in preseason playing as a wide forward where he can do all the good things and hiding the bad traits he has. If he is on, it has to be either to give Saka/Martinelli a break or because one of those two is injured. It was insane that we have Havertz in such imperious form, and yet we moved him to MF to accommodate Jesus when really we would have been better off keeping Kai up top and having Jesus play in that position. Kai is starting CF, Jesus should only be in that position if Kai needs a break, but Kai is not a good MF and he is excelling up top.
This is the way 🚨🇩🇪 OFFICIAL: German Federation inform that Kai Havertz will be out of the upcoming games against Bosnia and the Netherlands with knee problem.He will be assessed by #AFC staff in the next days and won’t travel with the national team. pic.twitter.com/8OgHw6Jxs3— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 6, 2024
im not underrating Saka but he was doubled and still contributed like that, imagine white was overlapping him with a 1 on 1 created how much damage he could do he’s fuxking class
He was pressing the shit out of Soton and bodying dudes at midfield well into stoppage time yesterday, so I’m assuming he’s fine. (I hope.)
Love to see it Thomas Partey is staying with Arsenal during the international break. Understand he has been suffering a bit of illness (not an injury) and so it has been agreed he should rest up for a bit after playing so many minutes this season. Purely precaution.— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) October 7, 2024
Perhaps we're finally putting our foot down about our players joining their NT for every interlull/match? If so, it's impressive that we're doing this now. In that Ghana (Partey) have AFCON qualifiers, and Germany (Havertz) have UEFA Nations League. These are real competitions (OK there's an argument to be made about UNL) rather than truly meaningless friendlies. Perhaps one could counter that Partey is no longer quite the coveted Ghana starter he once was, but I would think Kai is considered to be absolutely key for Nagelsmann, no?
Time for he Bournemouth thread? Even if interlull is still going on? As for injuries, the club is doing it's best to be tight-lipped. Probably we won't hear anything until Mikel's pre-match presser, if that. However, here's the latest scuttlebutt I've heard: * Saka's injury for England does seem to be a hammie, just not clear how significant it is (Cardsley was playing it down) * Martinelli's injury for Brasil is a calf. I believe his NT coach said "edema" which I thought was a surprising type of calf injury but WDIK * Odegaard's ankle has been the subject of lots of rumors, but I heard someone say the club is hoping for a November return Cross serious fingers that the midweek interlull action doesn't add to this list! Edit: Minutes after I wrote that, there's news of Tomiyasu maybe reinjuring knee in brief cameo Saturday.