September is almost over, and there has been a lot of noise over the last few weeks, with some pundits and fans making all sorts of negative assertions. But as we look back over the last six weeks since the season started, it seems to me that quite a few people are looking a little silly today.
Why am I saying that?
Well, let’s start with Kai Havertz and his signing. Mikel Arteta has been criticized left, right, and centre, Havertz has been branded a terrible signing, and so forth. But let’s examine one revealing stat.
Havertz has NEVER been on the losing side since the season started. Now, we can all accept that he has not performed as we would have wanted, but Arteta saw something in him that very few of us could see. To be honest, I am still not sure what it is, but never being on the losing side is hard to argue with.
Now, another stat.
Arsenal is the only team unbeaten in ALL competitions. And before anyone brings up Tottenham, who are unbeaten in the league, well, they are not unbeaten in the Carabao Cup, are they? No, Arsenal is the only team unbeaten in ALL competitions in English football. That is a cold hard fact.
I, of course, accept that the legendary eye test paints a slightly different picture. We have not been as fluent and stable as we were for most of last season. We have scraped by in certain games, and the squad does seem to be lacking quality in depth. But consider the following.
Arsenal, even when not at their best, even when they lack quality in squad depth in some areas, even when they have been hit with injuries, are still unbeaten. Imagine how we will do once we start firing on all cylinders. Imagine how well we will do when we have a fully fit squad. Imagine how well we will do if we sign an Ivan Toney or someone similar in January.
So, in conclusion, I am sorry to say that the negative assertions surrounding Arsenal, including those against certain players, are nothing more than a myth. You cannot argue with the stats on this one.
The problem with stats is that it’s easy to pick and choose what you are looking at.
I wonder how good or bad the team would be if we dropped Haveretz for Partey or ESR ? My guess is we would have won all those previous games and some.
Further criticisms is the over playing of SAKA? No idea what this is about. 3-0 up and you don’t take him off knowing he was hit and miss to play today. Weird.
If arteta just done a few more things that we can all see then none of us would have complaints. Haveretz has been a poor signing so far and we have played well but could have dine better.
Doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work this out
Spot on shortboy
👍Plus 1 Shortboy.
Havertz was central forward so most of the time he is assessed by goal contribution. But at Arsenal is not brought as central forward, he is CM playing as CM in Xhaka position where player is not evaluated by goal contribution only. Yes, plan to bring him was goal scoring midfielder which he has failed to live upto now. But let’s not make him escapegoat for all of Arsenal drawbacks. There are so many other factors which is holding our game and making us more static and predictable. Opponents are finding it easy to sit back and defend against us as they know if they defend in certain patterns then they can hold us.
Doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work out that you don’t know what you’re talking about either. Try going to a game occasionally.
I find it so funny whe people use going to games as a fall back lol. Considering only a very small percentage of foot all fans and the arsenal fan base can actually attend games. What rubbish is that. Just so happens I am a londonder and do attend games when possible.
For example the Fulham game where we drew. What was clear was the players did not seem to want to pass to kai and most of the play going through him broke down. Arteta is using kai more as a LAM rather than a CM.
It’s almost as if we are playing with 10 men at times. Sorry I wish the guy would prove us all wrong but he .issues sitters, has 0 assist and the 1 goal he has is a pity goal (pen for confidence). He doesn’t do alot of tracking back. (He doesn’t not track as well). Compare his distance covered to odegard and rice snd it is not the same.
You go to a game and actually watch him.
Do mean the Partey that’s been injured since the start of the season?
The point is that if we played rice and partey. Without this partey dropping to RB rubbish. I am sure we would be even better going forward and defensive. We are well aware he is injured.
We really should have done a better job replacing Xaka. Personally I would have liked a strong Defensive player and allowed rice to switch between CDM and CM and get forward as he wants
Shortboy, think you have a point here, A keep saying Arsenal need another powerful midfielder regardless if Partey stays or goes.
As it relates to Havertz, think the German was bought on impulse, but class is permanent and there are signs he is slowly coming to life, just like an old tube amplifier the warmer it gets the better it sounds.
Spot on man 👍
(Need our thumbs like and dislike back)
Pundits and even some plastic fans can say all they want against Arteta and signing Havertz, I sincerely don’t care. I trust his decisions.
There is a reason he the manager of the most beautiful team in England and they are not, Period!
We need to be careful with statistics.
Yes they are useful but it’s also important to visually judge things also
Right now I still favour ESR over Havertz but I do see some improvement in Havertz performance lately which is obviously a good thing
But I think we should be utilizing ESR more
As the reporter said, we may not see what the Manager see in Havertz that always give him the confidence to play him ahead other payers whom we believe would had performed beter than him, are they being given first selection, but curiously we have not lose a match, so let see how he will gell as time goes on. All I know is that he must have impressed Artete in some area which are yet seeable to us. Let’s keep the momentum.
I agree. ESR looks dangerous when he come on and had a couple of good shot’s at goal.
Havertz has not even started yet his real moment will come. Emile proving his goal threatning runs and positioning are still intact, i was pained he failed to get on the score sheet today with both attempts of his. prolly not his day hopefully it arrives soon enough. C’mon lads!
Exactly. Had we played with a passenger in the games, we wouldn’t have become unbeaten
Havertz did nothing special in Bournemouth, but he didn’t shy away from 50/50 challenges and he couldn’t get bullied there
If Saka gets injured, I hope Havertz or Vieira can replace him. We shouldn’t play a conventional RW in the first half of the games
GAI,
Probabilities, yea!!
Had we played with a better player than Havertz, may be we should not have drawn the two matches, or our goal tally scored should be much higher, may be less injuries as work load on other players will be reduced. Those are other probabilties..
No myths were busted it was another average game from Kai. Anyone can pick out random stats. Eder has more Euro final goals than Cristiano Ronaldo. Eder>CR7. Havertz isn’t a player that improves this team. The players who make us tick is basically everyone else besides him and Eddie. If we want to be challenging city we can’t have those two consistently playing for us
Spot on. Eddie is also not good enough. Slightly better than haveretz but poor as a striker tbh.
I wish this was not the case
Eddie is even miles ahead of Havertz in every area of the game.. Havertz is a poor signing.. the worst in our current squad.. and we can’t be challenging man city with him playing consistently.. ESR in less than 15min did a lot more than Havertz has done all season.
If we haven’t lost then that means every player on the squad hasn’t been on a losing side, based on that stat they are all completely equal so the point is entirely irrelevant. Just because we haven’t lost doesn’t mean each player has been perfect, as such players have still received individual rankings per game, and Havertz has mostly been either at or near the bottom of the pile each week.
Now I’m not in anyway saying that Havertz should be ridiculed, that wouldn’t be right, what would be right would be to replace him with a player who is more deserving of an opportunity; players such as Smith-Rowe, Vieira, Trossard and Partey to name a few (obviously when fit).
If we can drop Ramsey for only playing well and not very well in a couple of games to bring in Raya, why isn’t that logic transferred to outfield players as well? Surely that is the fairest way to have a competitive side?
I love this club and what Arteta has brought, I can’t see a more ideal man for the job but we have to accept he too is still learning and occasionally makes mistakes. His current one (two if you count the GK decision) being throwing an unprepared Havertz into the starting line-up from day one instead of easing him in, and then stubbornly persisting with it rather than make the required change.
Havertz’s best position is easy to spot but it’s currently taken by Odegaard, who we can’t drop due to his importance.
To get the best out of Kai he should be brought on later in games to give Odegaard a break, that way he’ll feel less pressure and more familiar in his role, then slowly transition him into an 8 – though I’d sooner see the club find a true 8 for that role and let Havertz focus more upfield.
People may point to stats like aerial duels being 100% for a game, but who’s to say another player could replicate that or come close and instead excel in a more productive stat, such as turn-overs, key passes, assists, even goals?
I appreciate the positivity people are showing Kai Havertz, it’s genuinely wholesome at times but let’s not forget football is a game of competition, one people have to put everything into. And right now, there’s a number of players who deserve that chance more than the German. It’s not personal, Kai should be dropped for the time being, and I genuinely hope that gives him the tough love he needs to get back to his best football.
JJ.
Well put, nothing to add.
To be honest lets call özil back if We need passengers this havertz Guy is just not cutting it let him play carabao until he deserve more. 300k A week and We complained about auba wages slated lacazette havertz = Maitland niles
Sorry but it’s too early to dismiss any myths about Havertz.
Kai is being selected in the team because of his tall frame, all our front players being relatively short. He has talent of course which is yet to be portrayed in an Arsenal shirt. I just wonder how many goals we would score if ESR is plays along with Odegaard. It’s just that he needs to take care of his fitness, I am sure Arteta is aware of this and is handling him with care. We have come this far in the season literally playing with 10 men, but once Havertz gets back to full confidence we will be more difficult to beat. COYG
Leave Eddie out of it. Watching the game it was clear how much Eddie affects it. He was desperate for a goal and his quality shone through. Rest him v Lens to be fresh for City. Havertz tries but could easily have been hooked, nice touch to give him the penalty.
Havertz might not yet show what makes many big European clubs looking at him when he was playing in Leverkusen but his presence definitely help us to create better defensive performance together with Rice. Both of them are difficult to get pass by opponent players.
I honestly not a fan of Havertz, but he is now an Arsenal player and there is nothing to gain by just complaining.
For building a better defensive balance, he is better than ESR and Viera. But I will prefer playing Partey with Rice if Partey isn’t injured.
One thing that bothers me is Arteta keeps playing Gabriel Jesus as Left Attacking Forward. I would prefer ESR/ Nelson playing from the left and Gabriel Jesus back to his central position.
Are some people paid with these excuses? Frankly it’s getting ridiculous by day.
If arteta is asked to say with honesty and humility the player he regrets signing, I am sure he will not hesitate to mention Havertz.
Arteta rushed to grab Havertz because real Madrid went for him. In his mind, he wants to beat real Madrid to signing a good player.
Most of these managers always believe that once big clubs like real Madrid, Manchester city, PSG or bayern shows interest in a player, it means the player must be super good.
Arteta got it really wrong signing Havertz, that is the bitter truth.
You’re wrong mate😂
True G4L
Eddie and the Captain are the only two players presurizing the opp. keeper which makes the opposition hull the ball up and loose possesion.
GJ used to do it but since coming back from injury has slowed on this aspect.
What crisis?
It was a nice gesture by Odegaard to allowed Havertz taking the penalty.
Can understand why a fan thinks our captain should be wearing some sort of Moccasins slippers in midfield, he’s the man of the match in my opinion.
It is said the German haven’t been able to find the back of the net in many moons, he actually forgot how to celebrate.
He seems to be improving slowly but surely, let’s see if class is indeed permanent.
It’s actually difficult to understand Havertz contribution as opposed to a striker, fans use to have the same problem with Xhaka, but quickly realized his importance when he’s not playing, I actually feels more comfortable with the German standing over a penalty than Saka.
A lot of people don’t really know how to prepare a well drilled organised technical team as Arteta did for several years now. He had been testing the players physical limits during the pre-season training and somewhat goes normal once the season starts. And he concentrates on tactics and techniques instead. That’s way half of players are suffering exhaustion in the beginning but now slowly picking up fitness. And their tactical and technical display are getting better. Now, with better players with no average players to lag them down, the squad are moving into the right direction. With 4 competitions, I’m sure everyone will get the chance to play.
He scored a penalty as a gesture from his team mates, not turned the game around. From all accounts it sounds like his all round performance was as uninfluential as in previous games. Wouldn’t Smith Rowe have done more had he been given a similar amount of playing time?
You can see immediately who’s never worked with statistics in the real world, it’s quite scary.
Also
Correlation does not mean causation
Well articulated. Well written. Thanks a lot sir
Havertz is a poor player.
It will be another disaster signing from us.
Haverzt will come good. But he should be eased in slow. Arteta has soke obsessions he needs to control. Let him play minutes and not whole matches until he gels in.
The other obession is the right wing. He will run Saka to the ground.
He refused to give Pepe minutes even when Arsenal was winning by 3 or more. Saka was injured, forced back amd played on even when we were leadin 3 nil.
Can he rest and rotate Saka for goodness sake and give opportunities on the right wing?
👍
Noodle-leg, goal-shy, 2-weak-foot Havert isn’t getting a get out of jail card yet.
He better start using his head for corners if his noodle-legs continue to fail him during attempts at key passes, goals or assists. They should make him kick cement balls for practice, dunno. Earn that 65m Havertz. Earn it man!
“Noodle leg”? Really?
@Lupe_Nets
😂😂😂😂
Sometimes I wonder why some fans harbor so much hatred in their heart, I agree Havertz isn’t playing as he should but for God’s sake the hatred is just too much.
My only problem with Arteta is his obsession to prove himself right even when it’s obvious it’s not working. His obsession with Havertz is doing more harm than good to the dude, playing him every minute mounts even more pressure on him.
Please get off Havertz back, he is our player now, support him.
Since when wanting a deserving player to start has become hate?
Havertz scores a token penalty and that is myth busting?
REALLY?
I am happy that he was given the penalty to boost his confidence and he should take penalties ahead of Saka in my opinion.
Angelo, you have a strange idea about the definition, strength and use of the word “hatred”, for what is simply criticism of a player’s performances.
I think the lad(Harvert) had actually forgotten he was purchased for 65m..
My humbly opinioin, he should try put more more efforts to justify his pricetag..
It was not his fault they we bought him for 65m.
No body force Arteta at gun point to pay such amount.
You cant judge any player by the amount he was purchased.
In most cases, it is the desperation of the buyer(s) that determines the price tag of players
Mrcool, Chelsea, (based on Havertz’ performances for them), are still laughing after depositing £65 million from Arsenal.
For those with 20/20 vision and unemotional honesty, Kai Havertz still has to prove himself. He is not quite disaster like Mustafi was, or Willian…..but he still has to show us what he can do. That’s just a fact. Hopefully he will, but he HAS to prove it. The ball is in his court.
Wetin this one dey talk. Untop small pk wey dem dash my guy
What does that mean in ENGLISH!?
Not sure, prolly speaking in Jamaican Patois.
You’re right! It’s Nigerian English-based creole (pidgin).
In Nigerian Pidgin, it translates as “what is he talking about? (referring to the writer of the article ). For being gifted an easy pk (penalty kick).
Abeg make una show the guy love. No be everybody go fit score pk for that Karin situation. Make we show the guy love.
Don’t think it’s wise to provide such tenuous facts to support the idea that havertz has played well – we could have lost before and we could lose our next game.
You have to go with the eye test first and foremost but you have to look carefully and objectively.
Havertz has looked fairly poor on the ball since he’s signed and has missed some big chances – he’s also posititioned himself very well in his somewhat new role, and has been very good at winning the ball back and keeping us solid. He’s not been fantastic, but he’s not been terrible either.
It’s very clear to me he’s short on confidence. The reactions from his teammates after he scored his penalty yesterday were extremely heartening, as it seems they all want him to regain that confidence. Bodes well, I think.
We were out of sight by halftime, yet it took ages before we ring in the changes.
Having one eye firmly on the champion,
Smith Rowe should have thrown straight in the battle from halftime,
But Arsenal is in a good place and it seems only we can beat ourselve
It’s not like Xhaka was a tremendous goal threat, it was his accurate passing and his physical presence in midfield that was needed