Micah Richards backed Kai Havertz for success and believes the Geman’s stats are not good enough at the moment.
Mikel Arteta is building something special at Arsenal, and over the last few transfer windows, nobody can question his choices. One thing the Spaniard has excelled in is his talent identification part, but some people started asking questions after the Gunners signed £65 million star Kai Havertz.
The German is coming at the back of a wretched season with Chelsea, where he underperformed like his teammates. Yet, since the start of the season, Havertz was constantly scapegoated for some below-par team displays.
On the one hand, it feels like Havertz carries this expectation where fans want to see him scoring, considering he forged a reputation as a forward. Yet, as Kevin Campbell said, the German is adapting to a new role under Arteta, and soon he will come good.
In truth, while some have criticised Arsenal for the £65 million fee, Arteta has made good use of Havertz in a new role. So far, he has only started in the centre-forward role once during the Community Shield with success, and since then, he has predominantly played on the left side of the midfield three.
Solid team performance. Appreciate all the support today from my teammates and the travelling fans. Means a lot ❤️ #Together pic.twitter.com/4GbySF03B0
— Kai Havertz (@kaihavertz29) September 30, 2023
His underlying stats have been good in the new role, although the media has mainly focused on his goals and assists number. At the weekend against Bournemouth, Havertz finally opened his Arsenal account after Martin Odegaard asked him to take their second penalty of the match.
The reaction from the players and fans said it all, as it contradicted some of the media narration about Havertz. The away fans also started chanting a new song for the German, which lifted the mood around the player.
Now, Micah Richards has backed Havertz to come good on BBC’s MOTD but lamented his lack of stats that make him look good. The pundit stated the German hadn’t looked himself since the Champions League win with Chelsea a few years back but expects him to come good.
Richards said, “I love it. I really did. You don’t know who’s going to take it, is it going to be Odegaard, Saka. But then when Havertz steps up you think, just what you need. Little bit of confidence. Things have not gone well for him, we know that. Since that moment (Champions League final), we’ve not really seen it. I really do rate him though, he’s got something. He’s got a lot of talent. But these stats, they’re not good enough,”
Under Arteta, Havertz has taken on an important role in this side. Of all the options available in the market, the manager chose the £65 million Arsenal utility man to replace Granit Xhaka. So far, he has done exceptionally well in that role.
His somewhat lazy style makes him look like a player uninterested in playing well, but in truth, Havertz has done an important job for Arsenal. Until now, he has shown a bite in that midfield role, making tackles and winning duels while dominating ariel balls, and this is a profile the Gunners lacked before.
