When asked about Havertz's newfound confidence, Mikel Arteta said: "Yeah, scoring goals, playing well, participating in wins - those are positive attributes. You saw the reception of his teammates and the crowd being with him, singing his name in every positive action that he had is all good things to help him show he's a tremendous player."
It was the first time this season Arteta was able to field what could be perceived as his 'dream' attack, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus as the front-three ahead of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Havertz. It resulted in the Gunners scoring five goals inside 45 minutes with every player in the midfield and attack - barring Rice - getting on the scoresheet.
"We have different options in relation to the opponent and today we were very attacking as we played with Alex [Zinchenko] in the backline as well," Arteta said after the game. "We wanted to approach the game to win it and be very dominant from the beginning. I think we achieved that."
It took just 13 minutes for Havertz to open the scoring for Arsenal against Lens, poking the ball home from close range. The German was smiling once again following his crucial winner in the Premier League clash against Brentford last weekend - a sight every supporter at the Emirates Stadium was happy to see.
It could be the start of Havertz finding some good form ahead of a crucial run of fixtures and if Arsenal can avoid serious injuries, Arteta may be able to play his preferred midfield and attack more often. After the win against Lens - which secured the Gunners' place in the Champions League last-16 as Group B winners - Havertz sent a brilliant message to fans with a post on Instagram."Into the UCL knockouts!! Great week, let’s keep it rolling," Havertz wrote.
Havertz added the hashtag '#YaGunnersYa' - a phrase Mesut Ozil used to consistently say during his time with the Gunners. Arteta will be hoping that the German international can continue to produce goals and assists as Arsenal now turn their attentions back to the Premier League title race.
0 Comments