Havertz likes to play deep midfield
"I'm really comfortable in this position. I have more possession and more involvement in distribution," said Havertz. "I'm still adapting and there's a lot of room for improvement, but so far it's been working fine."
At Chelsea, through three generations of coaches, Havertz has always been ranked in the attack, playing in the virtual 9 position or drifting on the wing. He scored 32 goals, of which the most impressive moment was the only goal in the 2021 Champions League final against Man City.
But after joining Arsenal for $83 million this summer, Havertz was appointed as a central midfielder by coach Mikel Arteta, replacing Granit Xhaka - who moved to Leverkusen. Havertz will combine with Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard into the new "Gunners" midfield trio.
"Obviously this is a completely different style from the way I played at Chelsea, but I think it's a style that suits me very well," said Havertz. "Of course it will take me a while to get used to the midfield position, but I've been here for just over two weeks and am trying my best to try to be in top form."
Havertz insists he has to work hard and compete for the official position, like every other player. He said Arsenal currently owns a young team, hungry to win and very happy when coming to Emirates Stadium.
Havertz often plays as a striker at Chelsea, but his best football - as he did at Leverkusen - comes from a deeper position, where he is frequently compared to German legends Michael Ballack and Toni Kroos .
Thus, the 24-year-old quickly adapted to Arsenal's system, scoring twice on the US tour - in the 5-0 MLS All Star and Barca 5-3 wins. "Scoring is part of my style of play, and it's important that my position takes advantage of the height in the far post. Hopefully that will continue to work in the Premier League," Havertz said. speak.
There have been some comments that Havertz does not have the physicality and good distribution to replace Xhaka in the midfield fight. But Arteta disagreed with this statement and defended the student.
"If I put Xhaka and Havertz next to each other, who is physically better?", said the Spain coach. "Havertz is 5ft 3in tall, can run behind defence, tackle and defend. Surely Havertz would match the qualities Arsenal have, and the good thing is that we have a lot of options in midfield. I have the ability to play very physically when I want, so don't worry about that."
On August 2, Arsenal closed the pre-season with a match against Monaco in the annual Emirates Cup friendly, then against Man City in the English Super Cup match at Wembley four days later.
