In the third round of the Premier League, Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at home, with Havertz scoring the equaliser. On Sky Sports, Carragher discussed Havertz's importance to Arsenal, arguing that if they want to remove him from the starting lineup, Arsenal needs to find a player who is truly world-class.

Carragher: "If you want to drop Havertz from the starting XI, you have to be talking about one of the best players in the world. Arsenal needs to find a player of that calibre. Someone like a striker who can guarantee 30 goals a season, or a player at the level of Thierry Henry. Gyökeres has never filled Havertz's position, never. And it's not just about how good they are offensively, but what they can bring to the entire team.

One reason Arsenal is so hard to break down is that their initial press is excellent. But even when the opponent breaks through the press, everyone drops deep to defend, and Havertz will even drop back to around 25 to 30 yards from his own goal.

If you want to find a world-class striker to replace him, that player also needs to be capable of doing these things. But a player who is very focused on their own statistics and goals—if you ask him to drop that deep to do these things, he won't.

Look at Havertz again: he can be effective in both areas, and the same applies to set pieces.

We talked about Havertz before the match, didn't we? He's more of a player who helps the team function rather than an exceptional goalscorer. So can Saka and other wingers take on more responsibility for scoring goals, the way Salah and Mané used to do alongside Roberto Firmino? They weren't necessarily exceptional goalscorers either, but they brought so much to the team.

As I've said before, people might think Arsenal could bring in a fantastic player. Yes, I've always said that none of their four forwards are truly among the world elite. But if you want to drop Havertz from this team, you'd better find a player who is genuinely at that incredible level to replace him.

For a manager like Mikel Arteta, removing Havertz from the starting XI means losing the defensive work he does for the team. We've talked about how solid Arsenal's defence is—opponents even struggle to get a shot on goal. But that's not just down to the goalkeeper and the four defenders; it's the work of the entire team working together.

So if Arteta drops Havertz from the starting lineup, he's essentially sacrificing some of the team's defensive stability for a bit more attacking threat."

Traduzido por IA.

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