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Pundit says he’s never seen 24-year-old Arsenal player work harder than against Liverpool
Robbie Mustoe has shared what amazed him about the performance of Kai Havertz as Arsenal beat Liverpool in a crucial game at the top of the Premier League table on Sunday.
Arsenal secured a massive win in the title race, with two second-half goals giving them a 3-1 victory at the Emirates over the league leaders.
Mikel Arteta made the decision to play Kai Havertz up front against the Reds. Gabriel Jesus was unavailable for the fixture. But rather than pick Eddie Nketiah or Leandro Trossard, Arteta opted for the German.
Kai Havertz praised as Arsenal beat Liverpool
Havertz continues to have his doubters for Arsenal. And it is probably fair to say that a decent number of people were convinced he would not score when he went through one on one with Alisson Becker during the first-half. Thankfully for Arsenal, Bukayo Saka was able to score the follow up to break the deadlock.
Havertz did not find the back of the net, but he was a key figure in the game. He was involved in both of the yellow cards shown to Ibrahima Konate in the second-half.
And speaking on podcast, Robbie Mustoe insisted that he has not seen such a tireless performance from the forward.
“There was a couple of big calls from Mikel Arteta, going for Kai Havertz up front. Jesus not ready to go. There’s Nketiah, there’s Trossard who can play a false nine. He continues to go with Kai Havertz. And Kai Havertz was involved in the first goal,” he said.
“What I’ll say before I get too much further into this is I’m not a big fan of Kai Havertz. But I tell you what, in this game he worked like I’ve never seen him work before unless I’m not watching enough for that side of him.
“He played a false nine. He worked back, he worked his socks off, Kai Havertz. And I tell you what, fair play. Fair play. From wide areas defending, to central areas defending, to running in behind, to closing down, he’s got some engine, you know.
“I’m not a huge fan of his finishing quality or sometimes his involvement, or sometimes his body language, or sometimes his determination. All that being said, he worked really, really hard. And for that, I give him credit.”
Striker role may bring out the best in summer signing
It has to be said that Havertz has looked most impressive for Arsenal when he has played as the striker. He was excellent in the first-half of the Community Shield against Manchester City. And he has been impressive on the few occasions he has played there throughout the campaign.
Obviously, he does not tick the box as a lethal goalscorer. But in truth, Arsenal do not appear to have a 25-goal a season striker in their ranks anyway.
Arteta is aware of Havertz’s limitations and tries to play to his strengths. And it does appear that his teammates really do enjoy playing alongside him.