Arsenal are now caught in a situation that never should’ve been allowed to happen again
We’re only a few days into the international break, and it already looks like one of Arsenal’s biggest fears may have been realised.
Indeed, Kai Havertz went off injured for Germany after half an hour on Thursday evening against the Netherlands, and by the sounds of it, this could potentially be another hamstring problem.
Havertz has had hamstring issues in the past that have kept him sidelined for quite some time, and if he is facing another spell on the Arsenal bench, the Gunners will find themselves in an uncomfortable situation.
Arsenal are back in an unforgivable situation
If Havertz is out of action, Arsenal are, once again, in a situation where they’ll need to find alternative options in their number nine position.
Viktor Gyokeres is the logical replacement, but, at the same time, the Swede is in terrible form at the moment, Mikel Arteta seemingly doesn’t trust him all that much, and, on top of that, Arsenal’s schedule is gruelling.
Gyokeres will probably come in to replace Havertz, but he probably won’t play every minute of every game.
Unfortunately, after selling both Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli in the summer, Arsenal don’t have another recognised striker in the squad.
That may mean that Mikel Merino will have to play up front in certain games, and, in all honesty, that is both unacceptable and ridiculous at this point.
This would be the third season in a row where Merino has had to step up to fill a striking gap, and while Merino is a very good option in that position, the reality is that he shouldn’t have to be used there – he is a midfielder by trade, and that’s where he should be used.
Arsenal have known about their lack of striking depth (and Havertz’s injury issues) for a long time now, but, year after year, they fail to address this area, and, once again, it’s an emergency option that they’re having to turn to.
Two years ago, it was a Havertz injury that seemingly cost Arsenal in the title race, now, the same thing could be happening again, and for all of Mikel Arteta’s squad planning and foresight, the fact he hasn’t seen this sort of thing coming is bordering on negligence.