Bukayo Saka has been consistent this season and is an irreplaceable player for Arsenal. He completed his sixth and seventh assists in the win over Southampton, while also scoring the second goal.
Saka is in the Premier League top 10 this season for shots (25), key passes (27) and dribbles (14). As Arsenal chase a first Premier League title in over 20 years, Saka has been a source of inspiration. However, Arsenal are not a one-man team. The 23-year-old is clearly Mikel Arteta’s crown jewel, but there are other stars around him.
One of those is Kai Havertz, who arrived at the Emirates last summer as an unknown quantity. Used primarily as a striker during his time at Chelsea, the German is adamant that this is not his best position. Arteta has a similar view, deploying the 25-year-old in midfield as a replacement for Granit Xhaka.
However, the decision to play Havertz in midfield has not paid off, with the former Bayer Leverkusen man looking out of place, but having spent £65m, Arteta cannot afford to let such a large sum go to waste.
So Arteta did what he should have done from the start - playing Havertz up front. With Gabriel Jesus struggling with injury, Havertz has been leading the line for the Gunners very well.
Havertz's style of play favours Saka on the right flank and Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard on the opposite flank. With Havertz willing to drop deep in search of possession, the Gunners' wingers are free to penetrate the box.
After years of struggling to find his best position, Havertz has finally found his groove. Crucially, his form in the second half of last season was not just a one-off. Instead, Havertz has risen to become one of Arsenal’s most important players.
Havertz scored for the fourth consecutive game in a 3-1 win over Southampton. It was also the German's fourth goal of the season. At his current rate, he could easily surpass his tally of 13 goals from last season. However, Havertz's goalscoring record is not the way to determine whether a campaign is a success or not.
While strikers will be judged on goals, Havertz’s approach is to open up space for his wingers. He also provides a physical presence in attack that has proved vital for Arsenal this season. Only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (35) and Virgil van Dijk (30) have won more aerial duels than Havertz (28) in the Premier League.
Arsenal are a team that doesn't necessarily want to dominate games like Manchester City and Tottenham. The Gunners' average possession rate of 49.2% is ninth in the Premier League this season. So they need a striker like Havertz to cause problems for opposition defences when playing directly. Averaging 1.7 fouls per 90 minutes, Havertz isn't afraid to disrupt the opposition's formation.
From the outside, Saka is Arsenal's standout player, but that can't overshadow Havertz's impact. Instead, Havertz's impact has allowed Saka to shine.
