Bukayo Saka has maintained his consistency this season and is an irreplaceable player for Arsenal. He completed his 6th and 7th assists in the win over Southampton, while also scoring his second goal.
Saka is in the Premier League's top 10 this season for shots (25), key passes (27) and dribbles (14). As Arsenal chase their first Premier League title in more than 20 years, Saka is a source of inspiration. However, Arsenal cannot be called a one-man team. The 23-year-old is clearly Mikel Arteta's jewel, but there are other stars around him.
One of them is Kai Havertz, who joined the Emirates last summer as an unknown quantity. Mainly used as a striker during his time at Chelsea, the German player was determined that this was not his best position. Arteta also thought the same way when using the 25-year-old midfielder to replace Granit Xhaka.
However, the decision to use Havertz in midfield did not bring results. The former Bayer Leverkusen player looked lost, but after spending £65 million, Arteta could not waste this large sum of money.
So Arteta did what he should have done from the start - to get Havertz up front. With Gabriel Jesus struggling with injuries, Havertz has led the "Gunners" attack very well.
Havertz's style of play favours Saka on the right wing and Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard on the opposite wing. With Havertz willing to drop deep in search of possession, the Gunners' wingers can freely penetrate the penalty area.
After many years of struggling to find the best position, Havertz has finally found his place. It is important that his form in the second half of last season was not just a temporary explosion. Instead, Havertz has improved his game to become one of Arsenal's most important players.
Havertz scored in the fourth consecutive match in the 3-1 win over Southampton. It was also the German's fourth goal of the season. With his current scoring speed, he can easily surpass his 13 goals 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 their goals, Havertz's approach is to open up space for wingers. He also provides a physical presence in attack that has proven important for Arsenal this season. Only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (35) and Virgil van Dijk (30) have won more air disputes than Havertz (28) in the Premier League.
Arsenal are a team that does not have to find a way to dominate the game like Manchester City and Tottenham. The Gunners' average possession rate is 49.2%, ranking 9th in the Premier League this season. Therefore, they need a striker like Havertz to cause trouble for the opponent's defense when playing directly. Having committed an average of 1.7 fouls per 90 minutes, Havertz has not been afraid to disrupt the opponent's formation.
From the outside, Saka is Arsenal's standout player, but that cannot hide Havertz's impact. Instead, Havertz's impact has allowed Saka to shine.
