Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given his verdict on the performance of Kai Havertz against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Arteta has said that Havertz played well as a number nine for Arsenal in the Premier League match against Liverpool.
So, what has Mikel Arteta said about Kai Havertz? Let’s take a look.
Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal’s Kai Havertz vs Liverpool
Well, Arsenal beat Liverpool 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in North London in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Gunners were the better team, and although they conceded a bad goal in first-half injury time, the North London club recovered after the break and were the better team.
Gabriel Jesus did not play in the match due to injury, so Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta decided to deploy Kai Havertz as the number 9.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were the two wide forwards in a 4-3-3 formation, and both played well.
Arsenal manager Arteta thinks that the £280,000-a-week (Spotrac) Havertz was superb in his role as the number 9, although Piers Morgan thinks that he was the worst player on the pitch.
Arteta told Arsenal’s official website: “I think Kai was unbelievable playing as a nine, it was a game that I thought he was going to fit in the same way Jorgi, you need big performances to beat this kind of teams, I think all of them were at their best today.”
My View: Kai Havertz is not a number 9
In my opinion, Kai Havertz is not a natural number 9, and I think that it showed against Liverpool.
While the former Chelsea player held the ball up well and linked up nicely, his finishing was not up to standards.
Havertz should have done better with the chance early in the first half (Saka scored the rebound).
Against Liverpool, Havertz took three shots of which two were on target, played two key passes, had a pass accuracy of 85%, won two headers, took 39 touches, attempted one dribble, made three clearances, and put in one cross.
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