13 Aug 2023 15:44:20
First game back yesterday oh what a feeling there’s nothing better, firstly kai I don’t know what the boss see’s in him, he just doesn’t bring anything to the team, we won’t challenge for anything if he plays, Eddie I know he got a goal but the rest of the game wasn’t there, we need a striker, partey at right back another head shake, he so calm on the ball he has to play in the cm saka and GM look very sharp and it’s only the first game, but I’ll say it again Kai cannot be in this team it has to be partey rice and ode.

1.) 13 Aug 2023
13 Aug 2023 21:49:46
I’m inclined to agree Oracle. Havertz was very slow in possession and very predictable. If his role is to progress play through transition then he was badly found wanting yesterday.

He had very little intensity off the ball and when we had it he simply dropped into non threatening pockets of space to play a predicable and slow paced ball often so slowly that it had little to no impact.

Concerning if I’m honest. Not just his lack of aggression in the first game of the season, but also the fact Arteta opts to play him here. I’d love to know what he’s seeing in training everyday to justify selection because better sides will steamroll him if this is his idea of hitting the ground running and laying down a marker.

I know people are going to leap to his defence, but we’re not on hear calling for his head, merely calling a spade a spade and these were concerns I, among others, expressed could pose problems for us.

Havertz needs an attitude overhaul not just a change of scenery where he’s afforded the luxury of playing with the handbrake on while everybody else is expected to haul ass on the pitch.

There’s a phrase as old as the game itself; ‘if you can’t play well, work hard’.

If your going to do neither, you can expect to hear about it.

{Ed014's Note - it’s one game but he doesn’t do it for me, a pretty huge downgrade on Xhaka if that’s whose place he’s genuinely there to fill.

He sadly gives me massive Ozil vibes.

2.) 13 Aug 2023
13 Aug 2023 22:39:18
Yeah hope its not another Ozil situation with Kai, we certainly can't be carrying luxury players so he certainly needs to up the intensity for me. He can't really play in a midfield 3 i don't think, and Partey can do a better job in there anyway which why the setup did not make any sense yesterday. Rule number 1 where possible play the best players in their best positions.

I just see him in false 9 sort of floating role bit like Trossard maybe not as much dibbling skill as Trossard but taller with more physicality that he can/ should use to maybe add another target option in the box with late runs. For me right now until he shows me a lot more to his game Kai is a forward option to use from the bench and should not be shoe-horned in the team to the detremant of the balance of our midfield.

I mean obvs he he a new player so we have to give him some leeway and support to settle in but matching work rate and intensity of the team mates is the starting point.

3.) 14 Aug 2023
13 Aug 2023 23:36:33
Agree Ed.

But there will be games when the inferiority of the opposition or extra levels of those around him will see him perform and this is where you’ll have the argument for him made by fellow fans who feel he’s being hard done by.

The simple reality is that, no matter what club he had joined in what league, he was always going to have questions to answer based on his own attitude and standard of performance at Chelsea.

You would expect a player with a point to prove coming in under the direction of a manager who has backed him with another big money move, to showcase a desire to repay that faith, get the fan base on his side and set out to put a marker down to prove all his dissenters wrong.

There was very little evidence of that type of professional pride or drive on display yesterday. Yes, anyone is entitled to an off day or sub tomorrow at display. But as Ed is alluding to what is concerning is his Ozil-like indifference to his lack of influence on a game. He quite literally does not go out of his comfort zone to try inject creativity or stand up and change the momentum in a game.

He plays like a man who thinks it’s everybody else’s job to retrieve the ball and get it for him when he’s dropped off the pace into a non threatening area where the opponent is quite happy to allow him have possession relatively unchallenged where he will then play a ‘paint by numbers’ 10 yard pass to Martinelli to ask him to take someone on.

It’s not going to be enough and serious questions may need to be asked about the acquisition when all is said and done because there’s no way he offers more than ESR and to be honest if it was Fabio Vieira performing like that fans would be on his back.

I don’t think too many displays like yesterday will be tolerated, what do y’all think?

{Ed014's Note - agree mate, the fact I didn’t see him do anything to make his presence felt was a real concern. The simple pass and little movement could be achieved by me and you.

He even gave up on a ball at one point in the game with effort he could have got too.

I don’t want to have a downer on him but as you said a big E for effort would be a massive starter.

Partey, like Ryan said, is a quality player on the ball and he Rice and Odegaard right now is where our midfield would be strongest.

Let’s hope he is just settling in and shows us we don’t have a clue what we’re talking about.

4.) 14 Aug 2023
14 Aug 2023 08:19:34
I admit that I only saw the first 30 minutes so I can't claim I saw much from Havertz, but Arteta and Edu saw a player in him and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt - only been one game after all.

5.) 14 Aug 2023
14 Aug 2023 11:43:39
I definitely don’t want to assume he’s a waste of money and really appreciate it’s only one game and it does take time to settle and I really hope he turns into the player he has the ability to be.

Just for info I’ve copied Ed01’s player profile of him below.

Havertz is an extremely creative young midfielder, one of those players that seems to glide across the ground rather than run. He did have a very difficult start to his time with Chelsea, but began to show signs of settling in nicely at the end of the season.

A mainly left-footed player, who favours coming in from the right onto that left foot, but he tends to look to pass, rather than shoot or cross. To me he needs to be more decisive, more confident and drive more into the box and look to take the shot, something I expect will come in time as he settles in properly.

Havertz also needs to work on his fight, he rarely wins a battle for the ball and clearly does not relish the physical side of the game. He wants the ball given to him in space or put into space for him to run into and use his pace.

Despite his skill and height, Havertz does not want the ball with his back to goal or in the air for him to head, that is simply not his game. In many ways he is reminiscent of Mesut Oezil in his play, particularly in the way he makes everything seem effortless, which can often result in a belief he is not trying.

Like Oezil, he likes to play an incisive pass slipped through a gap most players would not even be aware existed. That is the key, getting the ball to him in and around the box where he can make things happen.

6.) 14 Aug 2023
14 Aug 2023 12:43:59
God I hope he’s not another ozil.

7.) 14 Aug 2023
14 Aug 2023 18:57:15
As soon as we signed him i read that player profile too.
No doubt the "his body language is bad so he must be benched" type of comments will make a return which i absolutely despise as body language is probably one of the most pointless things to comment on.

I'm not going to say you're wrong for doubting him. I too think he has weaknesses, namely that lack of fight (from what i've seen he's not as docile as özil though) . But i think he's an intelligent player and that can go a long way. Just a few days ago he was part of a team that pretty much shut down City's playmaking. As a team you don't accomplish that without everyone putting in no less than an A grade defensive performance. To me that game was a proof of concept that he can work in this team.

I'm excited by this signing, i admit. I can also be wrong every once in a while though.

8.) 15 Aug 2023
15 Aug 2023 09:49:59
Are we all forgetting that this ozil that everyone seems to hope that Havartz doesn't play like because of his body language has the record for the most assist in a single season, people seem to have forgotten the impact Ozil had on this Arsenal team when he joined. we won the fa cup before Sanchez came, who seems to get the credit for our first trophy in years and he wasn't even at the club. it was the signing of Ozil that started an upward trend again for us. people talk about body language and running around and giving 100% but used to complain that was all Xhaka offered and that wasn't good enough.
Berbietov used to get complaints about body language and I bet that we would love someone up top with his class and goals-scoring abilities.

Hazartz defiantly hasn't hit the ground running and I have the same concerns as most, but it feels a bit like a lot of us have already made out minds up that he isn't good enough, he is not going to get us 15 goals a season, he is not going to go running around at 100 miles an hour, but he is a good quality operator and he IS someone who seems to rise to the big moments. he certainly hasn't caused us any problems, has a couple of goals pre-season to settle himself and I do believe that he will contribute to some big moments for us this season.