Arsenal’s decision to spend heavily on Kai Havertz last summer surprised everyone. The German player did not fulfill his potential at Chelsea and the Blues took the opportunity to sell the striker.

The Gunners’ original idea was for Havertz to play in central midfield, alongside Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

However, Havertz is not actually the replacement for Granit Xhaka that Mikel Arteta wanted. However, the 24-year-old still knows how to show his value at the Emirates. Despite his shortcomings, Havertz is still very hard-working on the field and is a master at finding space. This is an extremely important factor for a central midfielder.

Since the beginning of this year, Havertz has appeared more frequently as a false “9” in Arteta’s preferred 4-3-3 formation. And this is when the German player really becomes important to the “Gunners”. Havertz’s goals and assists help Arsenal continue their title competition with Manchester City.

The player born in 1999 has 12 goals and 6 assists this season, achievements that exceeded initial expectations. Of those 12 goals, 7 were scored in 9 starts as a striker. Five of Havertz’s six assists also came when he was responsible for leading the attack. Maybe it’s time to accept that Havertz is a striker?

Obviously, the environment at Chelsea is not suitable for Havertz and his skill set is only truly maximized at the Emirates. Havertz’s main task is to drop deep to find space and open up space for the wingers.

The important thing is that despite moving wide, Havertz still poses a more direct threat than Gabriel Jesus. The German player often moves to the flanks, but whenever needed, his 1m93 height will be effective in the penalty area.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Havertz has won more aerial duels (92) than any other Arsenal player in the Premier League this season.

With all 12 goals scored in the opponent’s penalty area, Havertz demonstrated very well the qualities of a “number 9” and helped Arsenal stay in the title race.

This season, Arsenal had a period of serious decline with only 1 victory in 7 matches. But Arteta’s bold decision – pushing Havertz to attack – changed everything. Although he does not have the power of self-determination in his hands like Man City, at least Havertz’s high form has helped Arsenal rekindle hope.

Amid the deadlock when lacking a true “number 9”, Havertz suddenly stood up and saved Arsenal. Of course, Havertz is far from perfect and The Gunners still need to recruit a true striker. But Havertz’s transformation will help Arteta have more diverse attack options. After a difficult start, everything is going like a dream for Havertz at the Emirates.

“I don’t like to talk about myself, but Havertz reminds me a bit of myself at Barcelona. I used to play the two roles that Havertz is playing – the virtual “number 9” and the “number 8″. I know exactly the feeling. What is that feeling?”, former midfielder Cesc Fabregas thought about his role in Barcelona when watching Havertz play.

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