Kai Havertz’s Adaptation to English Football
Kai Havertz was spoken about as a potentially world class player and was considered as one of the best talents in Germany. It has taken him some time to fully adapt to English football. Chelsea have been a difficult club for every player in recent seasons, but the German international continued to look lost at Arsenal. However, in the last few weeks, he has shown improvement and has scored a number of important goals for the Gunners. It now looks like he is secure in Mikel Arteta’s starting eleven.
Post-International Break Performance
Since the international break, Havertz has scored four goals in seven matches. The first came in the first match against Brentford. On that day, he started on the bench, but he made an impact in his 11 minutes on the pitch. It was a result that was key to Arsenal as they couldn’t afford to drop points and being the match-winner will have given him a lot of confidence.
Establishing His Role in the Team
It isn’t a surprise that he has been a mainstay of the team since and he has scored regularly. Havertz got another goal at the weekend and he is regularly getting forward to offer a goal threat. The early criticism of him was perhaps unfair, because he was learning a new role in the midfield. He is starting to get to grips of what is being asked of him, as he offers a lot off the ball and he has recently added the attacking threat that Arteta has wanted to see from him.
Recent Match Performance
During the match at the weekend, he had four shots and completed 93% of his passes. It was an accomplished display with the ball from Havertz and that was especially important considering the opponent. Brighton can be dangerous in transition if you give them chances, as Arsenal learned in the same fixture last season. It was crucial that the midfield performed well and the German summer signing played his part.
Comparison with Previous Seasons
Despite the new role in midfield, Havertz’s underlying attacking numbers have been similar to the ones he had last season with Chelsea as a centre forward. He is averaging 0.36 expected goals (xG) and 0.1 expected assisted goals (xAG) per ninety minutes. Last season, his averages were 0.41 xG and 0.13 xAG. As he has been used as a midfielder, these are impressive numbers and underline why Arteta wanted to sign the German.
Defensive Contributions
One consequence of his new role has been an increase in his defensive numbers. Havertz is able to cover a lot of ground and he is able to offer a lot off the ball as a result. He has already made 30 tackles and interceptions this season. The former Chelsea player only made 41 in the entirety of last season.
Conclusion and Future Prospects
It is too soon to suggest Havertz has now been a successful signing for Arsenal. However, supporters will be pleased with the impact he has had since the recent international break. He is producing big moments in matches and that goal threat is useful to have for the Gunners. They often come up against deep blocks, which means having an attacker in midfield helps create overloads.
If he can maintain the consistent level he has shown in recent weeks, Havertz will remain a key member of the Arsenal first team as they battle for the title.
