'That is unbelievable': Jamie Carragher stunned by what he's heard about Kai Havertz after Arsenal vs Man City
Today at 01:15 AM
Ever since he arrived in north London, Kai Havertz has been something of a swiss army knife for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, his utility man.
In the absence of Martin Odegaard, Havertz returned to midfield for Arsenal against Atalanta in the Champions League.
The German then effectively played as a second right full-back against Manchester City, barely 10 metres ahead of Jurrien Timber after Leandro Trossard's red card.
Havertz has Arteta's wholehearted trust, something that isn't always easy to achieve given his lofty standards.
That being said, Havertz has often been willing to sacrifice his own personal interests as a goal scorer when appropriate, he's well and truly someone who puts the team first.
And as mentioned, that was very evident against City when Havertz was just sitting in and trying to win aerial duels whilst holding the line.
Ian Wright defends Kai Havertz after failing to complete a pass against Man City
Given his role, a remarkable stat emerged after the 2-2 draw that Havertz didn't play a single pass to one of his teammates – something Jamie Carragher mentioned on the 'Stick to Football' podcast.
Carragher was shocked by the stat, one that Ian Wright thought needed to be said in context of the exceptional circumstances.
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Carragher initially said: "This is a great stat. In the whole game, even when they had a 11 men for a half of football, Kai Havertz never made one pass. In the whole game. That is pretty unbelievable.
Wright replied: "What does that stat prove? Did it make any difference?"
Carragher: "I'm talking about the whole game when it was 11 vs 11."
Of course, some Arsenal fans have actually disputed that statistic altogether, pointing to a slide tackle Havertz made which turned into a pass received by Bukayo Saka on the wing.
Carragher still doesn’t think Arsenal are title-favourites
Despite their good performances and Rodri's serious injury at the Etihad, Carragher still didn't think Arsenal were title-favourites.
The pundit protested that it was still 50/50 between the two sides given who City have in reserve – pointing to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne.
However, it has to be said that Arsenal are playing to this level right now without the likes of Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino themselves.
Both will likely start alongside Declan Rice to form Arsenal's strongest midfield eventually – a mix of power and skill.
And Arsenal fans will be itching to see the trio in action, players they'll hope to see with a Premier League medal around their neck come next May.
