Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has had his say on Kai Havertz after it was suggested over the weekend that the Germany international might be suffering from a confidence crisis
Thierry Henry has defended Kai Havertz in the wake of Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Manchester City – but admits the Germany star does appear to be struggling for confidence.
The Gunners thrashed their old title rivals in a statement showing at The Emirates courtesy of goals from Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Havertz to keep up the heat on Liverpool.
While Arsenal extracted some measure of revenge on the team that has denied them the Premier League title in successive seasons, the match was finely poised at the break with Odegaard’s early strike the difference between the two teams.
Despite Arsenal’s lead, Havertz was the big talking point at half time: he squared the ball to Odegaard for Arsenal’s opener when one-on-one with Stefan Ortega before spurning a golden chance to double the lead.
Gary Neville, commentating on the match for Sky Sports, went on to say during the match that the Germany international was having “a confidence crisis”. His co-commentator Jamie Carragher was also in agreement prior to the flurry of Arsenal goals in the second half.
Henry did agree with the duo – but he also defended Havertz, pointing out that he made the right call for Arsenal’s opening goal. He said: “We talked about lack of confidence, he looked for a better option.”
When he was then asked if Havertz should have gone for goal, Henry added: “Yeah, but when you’re lacking confidence, Odegaard is a better option. By the way when you score, you’re right so he was right!”
Join the debate! Do you agree with Henry? Let us know here
Havertz is Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with nine goals but he has also faced fierce criticism from portions of the fanbase and pundits for missing other opportunities to add to his tally in front of goal.
And while Arsenal are believed to be after a new No.9, Mikel Arteta launched a passionate defence of Havertz after Arsenal’s exit from the FA Cup last month.
He said: “To [Havertz] and to all of them: that I love them, that we all love them. Individually and collectively they are a joy. What this team produces every three days is incredible regardless of what happens. I am not going to lose sight of that, because of a result or two because we didn’t deserve it.
“What we can do better, let’s try to do it. But it’s difficult to achieve, it’s an emotional part, it’s something related to confidence as well.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Learn more
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
