Would you start Havertz against Man United?
Arsenal have had a decent start to the Premier League campaign as they sit on fifth position with seven points, two off leaders Man City.
While the points tally of the team is hardly something to panic about, the way the team has played in the first three matches has certainly raised some eyebrows.
Mikel Arteta’s squad has failed to dominate the whole game in all of their three matches and many have started questioning whether the Gunners will be able to mount another title challenge.
Man United have had their share of struggles this season, as they sit three places behind the London side on eighth position.
But form immediately goes out of the window when the biggest clubs compete against one another. And if Arteta wants to see his side triumph over Erik Ten Hag’s he might need to make some brave decisions.
One being benching Kai Havertz. The new signing from Chelsea has failed to impress in any of his three league starts. In fact, he was so poor in the match against Fulham that he was taken out in the 55th minute.
There is absolutely no problem in failing to hit the ground running at your new club. We are humans and we need time to settle down. And that can be said of the German, who switched allegiance from the Blues side of London to the Red.
Arteta seems to have a lot of faith in Havertz
Arteta is convinced that Havertz will come good, and Arsenal are convinced that he can be a key player at the club for the next five years. The size of their investment in him is proof of that. Patience is in short supply within the fanbase, though, and it speaks volumes of… pic.twitter.com/x3l9Tdu0tQ
— Doc (@karthikadhaigal) August 31, 2023
The 24-year-old was used as a number 9 at Stamford Bridge, but Arteta sees him as a player who can do better in the number eight position. However, it looks clear that he needs time to settle down in the new position he finds himself playing in.
Thus, it will be best if Havertz is taken out of this heavyweight match.
Selecting his successor promises to be a thought-provoking endeavor. My inclination leans toward Leandro Trossard, who showcased remarkable prowess in that role during the preseason.
But then there are the likes of Declan Rice (who played the Community Shield Final in that position), Fabio Vieira (who was Man of the Match against Fulham) and Emile Smith Rowe (who is waiting for an opportunity to pounce upon).
Whoever gets picked, I don’t think it would be a wise decision to start Havertz. Arteta has always believed in the power of ruthlessness. This is the perfect opportunity to show his squad that if they don’t perform at the highest level, they will face the chop.
And that’s the culture of big clubs. At least, that should be the culture of the big clubs.
Writer – Yash Bisht
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I would start Havertz vs Manchester United if I were in Arteta’s place
Havertz could be very useful if he’s instructed to do high-press with our CF and if Odegaard/ Saka make long crosses to his head
Arteta should’ve known how to maximize Havertz’s strengths when we played against Fulham, because he used to play with Fellaini and Giroud
Havertz skill set is just like the invincibles Kanu Nwakwo. The difference is that Kanu uses right leg. Kanu was used by Wenger as second striker or no 9 occasionally. Ask much as I would want Nketia as main striker I think Arteta should go with the same line up against City in Community shield with the exception of JTimber which Zichenko could fill. Nketia/Trossard/ESR can always come in as Sub. Veran most realizable ManU defender is injured Havertz should thrive. I would slightly be comfortable with Tomiyasu against pacey and skillful Rashford though.
Good idea. I’m sure our fullbacks can handle Man United’s wingers
I know you and Arteta and inverted tactics are one thing, but you should know that no matter how you try to invert everything, those 19 other managers are not fools and they will find out weaknesses in your set up and exploit it at the cost of our precious points. I believe in most cases just have quality players than your opponents and that would surely win you games. inverting every position just for tactics will not work in the long term.
A smart manager should always change his tactics every season. Look how Guardiola outsmarted other managers each year by employing new tactics
Wenger’s old 4-2-3-1 tactic with attacking fullbacks was revolutionary in 23 years ago, yet it has become too common these days. Arteta’s inverted-LB tactic made us finish in the second place last season, but other managers seemed to have analyzed it at the end of the last campaign
If we don’t change our tactics, they could get found out by the oppositions. Look at Conte with his 3-4-2-1 tactic
We did not have a full back who could play the system so Partey covered right back, meaning Havertz had to step in to cover the Xhaka role. This also required White to step across to central defence and no place for Gabriel. With Zynchenko back, Partey should revert to central midfield, White at right back and Gabriel back to centre half. So I think no starting place for Havertz.
Team
…. 3-2-3-1-1
Ramsdale
White. Saliba. Gabby
Partey. Rice
Saka. Ode. Martinelle
Havaretz
Nekitha
Nketiah.
Martinelli. Odegaard. Saka.
Rice. Partey.
Tomiyasu. Gabriel. Saliba. White.
Ramsdale.
Depends on how adventurous Arteta wants to be
Odeggard Rice Partey midfield for solidity
or Odeggard Havertz/Trossard/ESR with Partey/Rice behind.
First the good news. Eddie Nketiah has Ben called up by England. Shows what hard graft can do.
No way should Havertz start. It would be like having 10.5 men. The old Chinese proverb…”never give a weapon to your enemy”, applies. We need to start with Partey, Odes and Rice Baby, in the midfield. Havertz on the Bench till he earns his place.
If Havertz must play, it should be at the position he played against City in the Community Shield – up top.
‘Up top’ Preferably of the stand. Arsenal have made a habit of bizarre transfers ever since I’ve supported them, but buying Havertz after another ‘so what’ season with Chelsea left me wondering if the Worlds gone mad? It’s no good fans saying ‘he’ll come good’ when there has been no evidence he will. Not to mention he won’t be, by a long shot, the first dud Chelsea have stiffed Arsenal with. No, he should not start against Utd. What’s more worrying is that Artetas tinkering has unsettled the team. They look more ‘end of last season’ than the start of it. As for the game itself, it doesn’t matter how average Utd are (and boy are they), it’s how the players, after years of poor results against the NW reds, perceive them. This ‘will’ be the test of whether Arteta is building on last season, or going backwards.
Se villa, PSV and Lens for our CL group!
This is a good draw
The experiment should end and Arteta should pick his best 11 based on form; we have to get 3 points.
Ramsdale
White —- Saliba —–Gabriel —-Zinchenko
Partey ——- Rice
Saka ——- Odegaard——– Martinelli
Nketiah
Havertz off the bench, but Trossard or Vieira should be selected as subs first.
Havertz has had chances and opportunities, now has to earn his chances.
So far he has been low energy and minimal if any impact. Invisible in midfield and 3rd choice striker at best.
Rather see ESR or Vieira as a 10 before Havertz, and until he shows something worthy of mention he should get comfortable on the bench.
I said it before, if you want a midfielder then get a midfielder, not Havertz who doesn’t have a defined role. We are seeing the problems as a result.
I am less concerned regarding Havertz, but Rashford bombing down our right flank with Partey at RB is a major concern.
The gaffer is smart enough to know a heavy defeat at the Emirates with his experiment could have serious repercussions, surely someone must have pinched him.
Pundits and fans alike, myself included have no room for diversion from the process he started sometimes ago
Arteta has surrounded himself with yes-men whose only job is to rubber-stamp what he says. How else do you explain Arteta saying we were 10 times better in the Fulham draw compared to last season? Madness.
Yes, I would start Havertz in a 4: 2 ; 3 : 1 formation against Man United, and switch to a 4: 3 : 3 in attack mode.
—————-Ramsdale
-White–Saliba–Magahlase—Zinchenko
—————-Party—-‘Rice
—Saka——Odegaard—–Martineli
—————–Havertz
I think Havertz will start but whether or not it’s the right decision we will soon find out. You don’t pay £65m for a player then bench him after 3 matches and Arteta clearly believes in his abilities which is his prerogative as manager and coach.
Decent UCL draw for us and looks like Newcastle have drawn the short straw.
Still don’t see the point in Kia being at the club and why we paid £60m for a player who was poor enough apart from headed goals at Chelsea. We have SmithRowe & Vieria there who are itching to play, bought Rice to replace Xhaka but spent all that money on a player who does what for us exactly?
If we needed a ST then go buy a ST as we shipped out Flo, which again is a shame but I get it as Eddie is starting to prove himself. Timber was a great signing but now Injured and we let Tierney leave plus Taveres as Zink is coming back from an Injury, that’s smart business.
Why have I got a bad feeling Mikel is going to ruin this team because of his ego especially now reading about Gabriel & him not starting a game as Saliba & Him had a great understanding along with White at RB, His tinkering is going wrong and Partey being one of the best DMs in the league at RB?!? Leave the team alone;
Ramsdale
White
Saliba
Gabriel
Zink
Partey
Rice
Ødegaard
Martinelli
Nketiah
Saka
Trossard
Smithrowe
Vieria
Jesus
Raya
Tomiasu
Still no room for Havertz in my squad and money could’ve been spent better elsewhere in my opinion. We have been handed a decent UCL group and again squad depth will be called into it and he is getting rid of alpt of back ups who will come in handy esp as Timber fell for probably the whole season.
I have alot of doubts atm while Mikel is tinkering with the 11 and tossing players out the door at an alarming rate for very little money or reason with all these loans & all the competitons we are competing in.
Be patient mate. The season is still too damn early to judge a player. I strongly believe Havertz will be coming great. He just need time to gels with his new teammates and his confidence is pretty low atm. Seems like fans have picked him up as the new scapegoat in team. Not so good for any player’s morale. I would rather him to be eased into the team slowly and starting from the bench until he can perform better. With his versatility means he can replace/cover anyone to be subbed out.
My selection based on form for man u;
Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Tomi/Zinc
Partey Rice
Saka Ode Martinelli/Trossard
Nketiah
Might be good to start Rice on lcb too if Arteta want to try a new experiment. I would like to see him playing in front of the gk sometimes. He seems to be good to play any role in the middle.
Tomiyasu’s improving again. Should be given more chances to play.
Thank you for this comment
Was replying to Sean
Arteta will prob play Raya at right back to add a new dimension he seems very stubborn in his ways its clear his new system is not working but won’t admit it and change he will be sacked soon!
Hahaha , Raya at right back, the gaffer has turn his selection and formation into a circus.
But am not worried and I will sleep like a baby because when we meet Man United all experiments ends.
The last time we experiment against Man United, Ut was in preseason at the MetLife, United cut through the gunners like knife through butter, I was there to witness it first hand.
The manager needs to pick the side he believes will win the game.
Whether or not he decides to field Havertz has little to do with “bravery”.
It seems we have so many coaches/managers here, if you think you know better than Arteta, kindly apply for the job and I gurantee you will not last a month🤣🤣🤣🤣
We must play:
…………………..Ramsdale
White…..Saliba……Gabriel….Tomiyasu
Partey………….Rice……….Odegaard.
Saka…………Nketiah……..Jesus
Martinelli has been unproductive of late so Id leave him on the bench.
Exactly, Martinelli has wasted us this time round
I agree about Martinelli. He’s a super player, but since the latter part of last season – when he was overplayed – he’s seemed underpowered, and his final ball (pass or shot) hasn’t been great. However, he’s all heart, and when on song is a tremendous asset. For the moment, he just needs a bit of a rest.
I hope our fans will be back to their best against the old enemy That is a big plus if they can get behind our players with encouragement sounds rather than sighs! and aaghs! and the like. We need to transmit our energy to the team rallying behind them. For me this season the fans have stepped back, We took a step forward last season but now we have stepped back
Absolutely right – the Ashburton library! The fans need organising, with some LOUD, SUSTAINED chants and PROPER songs. Just see how the Leeds away fans do it – awesome.
@Mark. yes i think so too. Raya was bought as a ‘false no 1.
In possession he will drift into the backline for his quality ball playing skills. Out of of possesion he will quickly double back into goal.
An innovation that only Pep & Arteta can come up with.
lol of course!!