It is only fitting the teams that have two of the biggest and most puzzling transfer buys get to face off as they battle to put up performances that match preseason expectations. Arsenal’s Kai Havertz and Manchester United’s Mason Mount are on an island cut off the mainland of big signings that have impressed early on this season.
James Maddison already has a goal and Micky van de Ven has put up a string of solid performances for Tottenham Hotspurs. The pair’s performance has been a major reason for Spurs’ surprising brilliant start to the season.
Moussa Diaby, Alexis MacAllister, Dominic Szoboslai, Harvey Barnes, Sandro Tonali, Andre Onana and Declan Rice have impressed since teaming up with their new clubs.
On the flip side, Mount and Havertz, frankly look lost at Arsenal and Man United respectively despite playing under offensive-minded managers who have worked well with versatile, technically sound and all-round quality players.
For Mount, Erik ten Hag’s inability to get the former Chelsea player to be heavily involved in Man United’s attacking play is concerning. For Havertz, Mikel Arteta’s tactical gymnastics to have him star in the starting lineup is still proving futile for the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man.
The struggles of these marquee signings have, to a large extent, played into the string of putrid performances doled out by Man United and Arsenal three games into the 2022-2023 campaign. Arsenal has seven points from a possible nine and Man United has six points from a possible nine even in the face of all these struggles which is another win for folks who look beyond statistics when analyzing football games.
Bagging two wins in three games with the other team registering two wins and a draw in three games is beyond solid but looking at the quality of opposition both clubs have faced and the type of disjointed play by both teams, there isn’t much to cheer about.
On Sunday, the teams face off but Arsenal is the better settled team of the two as Man United deals with injuries to Mount, Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane. Adding to the chaos at Old Trafford, there are question marks over the possibility of last second transfers coming in to Man United further adding to the intrigue associated with the Red Devils.
While Arsenal looks settled with its personnel, it does have an unsettled tactic question that is frustrating the life out of the Gunners Army and it all zeroes in on Havertz. The German was signed from Chelsea for 64 million Pounds in a move that puzzled pundits and thus far, he has done very little to dispel the mystery surrounding his move from one side of London to the other.
Havertz can play in a deeper role in midfield as one of two “Number 8’s” flanking a defensive midfielder. While that is workable, looking at what Eddie Howe is doing with Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton or Joe Willock at Newcastle, it requires very athletic, defensively strong Number 8’s to work. Such setups ensures the sole defensive pivot isn’t overrun by opposing teams when possession is lost.
This isn’t lost on Arteta and it feeds into his decision to make Partey an integral part of the team once again after all signs pointed to an exit for the Ghanaian midfielder. Pairing Partey with Martin Odegaard and Rice in midfield gives Arsenal’s the perfect balance in midfield but that means Havertz misses out on a starting spot.
Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are practically untouchable while Eddie Nketiah is a better fill-in for the injured Gabriel Jesus than Havertz.
The Champions League winner can lead the attack because he has the quality to do so but after a disappointing run with Chelsea in the same role, it is best to play him in his best role as a “midfielder who likes to go into the box”.
While football incorporates more players on the field than other team sports like basketball, netball and volley ball, there are only so many players a team can field at a time.
To make room for Arsenal’s very significant investment in the starting lineup without throwing the team’s balance off, Thomas Partey has been moved to the right full back position from his usual defensive midfield position with Havertz lining up centrally behind the striker.
When building an attack, Partey slots into midfield to offer protection bur moves back to right wing of the back line when the Gunners are defending.
Three games in, transitions have been slow and the constant shuffling this early in the season has thrown the team’s “flow” off leading to the poor performances and resulting frustrations from fans. Over the course of another long season, changes will come but such changes won’t come on Sunday as Arteta sticks to his system with Havertz starting and Partey lining up at right back and here is why.
Tomiyasu’s Return
Takehiro Tomiyasu’s return to the team as an inverted left full back after serving a one game red card suspension against Fulham is a big boost.
Tomiyasu’s presence at the back alongside William Saliba and Jakob Kiwior or Gabriel Magalhaes provides enough defensive cover when Arsenal advances up the field since all three are natural central defenders. With Jurrien Timber injured, Kieran Tierney loaned out, playing Oleksandr Zinchenko is risky since the former Man City player is targeted as a weak point of the back line.
Doubling down on Zinchenko’s defensive weaknesses, Man United is expected to start Antony on the right wing. The Brazilian constantly cuts infield on to his stronger foot (left) to impact games and history has shown that conventional fullbacks struggle playing against such players. To counter this threat, playing the right footed Tomiyasu is the best solution.
Boost to Arsenal’s attack
From an attacking standpoint, having an inverted full back with Partey at right back and Havertz lining up behind the striker gives Arsenal multiple options to score. While Havertz is far from a top goal threat having scored 19 goals in 94 appearances and adding seven assists, the 24-year-old helps his teams tremendously with his runs.
In the midst of a terrible campaign at Chelsea last season, Havertz still ranked fifth in the Premier League in runs that challenged the opposite back line behind the likes of Ollie Watkins and Heung Ming-Son. Having such a mobile target creates spaces for wing forwards Martinelli and Saka to thrive and score goals or at least create scoring chances.
Arsenal and Arteta Guarding their Investment
Keeping Havertz in the starting unit is also a test of Arteta’s resolve as a manager who believes in his system and ideas just as much as testing Arsenal’s resolve to defend its decision to splash a hefty amount on a “misfit”. After playing Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Crystal Palace, matching up against Man United is the first real test for Arsenal this season.
As such, benching Havertz would be a grand admission that the team has whiffed badly on a high profile signing even this early in the season and once again put Arteta’s coaching credentials under the microscope. One trait of elite coaches is stubbornness and an unbridled belief their decisions are the best. For a manager pushing so hard to be tagged elite, as Arteta is, the Spanish manager is sure to play Havertz as a starter.
Arteta doing all he can to make his gamble pay off
Confidence or the lack of it, is a big deal for players’ success and starting Havertz off the bench against Man United would be a confidence killer for the German as a direct message that the manager doesn’t believe in him. Several players have suffered from not having confidence from their manager(s) and to avoid this fate from repeating itself, Arsenal will likely give Havertz as many starting opportunities as possible.
Looking at the significant amount doled out to sign him, the chances of Kai Havertz missing out on a starting spot in Arsenal’s game against Man United is next to zero.
That means Partey’s run at right back is also set to continue as his presence provides the best cover defensively to offset the team related flaws in starting Havertz. Still yet to lose a game this season and factoring in the benefits of sticking with his system, Mikel Arteta is sure to continue playing Thomas Partey at right back and Kai Havertz as a starter.