Martin Odegaard role in Kai Havertz struggle emerges as Arteta faces new headache
Havertz’s peak performance while playing for Arsenal has aligned with Odegaard’s absence due to injury.
How does Arteta manage to incorporate both players into the team?
At times, it appears that Mikel Arteta is attempting to will a Kai Havertz goal into reality. Despite scoring only once for Arsenal, a penalty against Bournemouth, Havertz has gone 18 games without scoring from open play for his new club. Arteta is making an effort to boost his confidence.
It’s not unusual for a manager to emphasize the impact and performance of a high-profile signing, hoping to ignite a positive change. Arteta has identified Havertz as a player capable of taking a title-challenging team to the next level, despite a inconsistent and unconvincing final season at Chelsea. The success of this partnership is clearly beneficial for both parties.
After Arsenal secured a comfortable victory over Sevilla, Arteta was questioned about Havertz’s performance.
In response, he remarked: “Against West Ham [he] was the best player, Newcastle one of the best. Today again he was really strong. Really happy with him.”
It was a generous evaluation of Havertz’s recent form. In Arsenal’s subpar performance against West Ham, where no player particularly stood out, Havertz’s luck extended to escaping a red card for a reckless challenge on Sean Longstaff, igniting a touchline confrontation.
In the Champions League match that followed, where Arsenal moved closer to the knockout stages, Havertz was not a central figure. The standout performers were the dynamic duo of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Martinelli’s electrifying runs, tallying eight past his opposing full-back, were a highlight, showcasing his remarkable speed.
Havertz, on the other hand, had a less than impressive moment early on, missing a free header and drawing frustration from Arteta. However, he rebounded, almost scoring a sensational goal with a bending effort from the edge of the box. He also demonstrated defensive contributions, leading the team with three tackles.
Despite these positive aspects, Havertz’s role in the team remains unclear. Initially considered one of the best young players globally, he hasn’t settled into a specific position. Rather than evolving into a second striker or midfielder, he appears caught in between.
While Havertz is showing gradual improvement in understanding the right-sided role in Arsenal’s midfield three, questions arise about his future role, especially with the return of Martin Odegaard. Odegaard has established himself in a similar role, prompting speculation about how Arteta will manage both players in the lineup.
Odegaard has been absent from Arsenal’s starting XI since the win in Seville on October 24 due to an injury, leading to Havertz making four consecutive starts in all competitions. In that match, Odegaard played alongside Jorginho and Declan Rice in midfield, forming a trio that offers Arsenal a natural blend of a deep-lying prober, box-to-box runner, and creative playmaker.
Arteta faces a dilemma when Odegaard returns from injury, trying to figure out how to optimize both players. The straightforward solution would be to return to the same trio that started the season, with Rice as the No. 6, Havertz on the left, and Odegaard on the right.
However, this approach has two drawbacks. Firstly, it involves Jorginho dropping out, a player Arteta highlighted as someone who “makes everyone play better.” Secondly, it requires moving both Rice and Havertz into positions that may not be their preferred roles.
One potential adjustment could be to switch Odegaard and Havertz, with Odegaard taking the left position. There’s no reason why Odegaard couldn’t excel in that role, and it might even enhance his creative output, especially considering his evolving goal-scoring tendency.
While such decisions are challenging, Arteta has demonstrated a willingness to make bold choices, as seen in his controversial decision to replace Aaron Ramsdale with David Raya.
Accommodating Havertz was always going to be a complex task, given his struggle to secure a set position at Chelsea and the challenge of replacing Granit Xhaka, a fundamentally different player, in Arsenal’s lineup.
Regardless of the chosen solution, Arteta is likely to be hesitant to bench Havertz at a time when he is growing more influential. Doing so could potentially harm his fragile confidence further.
Martin Odegaard role in Kai Havertz struggle emerges as Arteta faces new headache