5 standout players in Arsenal’s Community Shield victory

4. Kai Havertz

When Arteta signed Havertz, it was unclear whether he planned to play him in the Granit Xhaka role or as a CF. Today, Kai played up top and he did a brilliant job.

His hold-up and back-to-goal play was excellent, never losing the ball, moving the attack on and drawing fouls. He linked up well with his teammates even if he did seem a bit timid at times.

He definitely should have scored one of his two chances in the first half but getting two opportunities like that against City is a much more important indicator of his quality. It’s thanks to his movement that he has so much time for that second opportunity and goals will come.

What makes me particularly excited about Havertz’s performance today is the fact that Arteta is cooking up different match plans for different opposition, with various players in varied roles. An issue last season was predictability come the second half of the season: teams knew how to set up against us.

With players like Havertz who can play several different roles, Arteta can make up devilish team formations and tactics. The flags for the upcoming season are all green so far.

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