Now is the time for Arsenal to bench Kai Havertz

There is something up with Kai Havertz right now. The Havertz we are seeing on the field isn't the same Havertz we saw at the start of the season. He has been much slower, and his touch hasn't been up to standard. Not to mention that he's now gone seven Arsenal games without a goal. His last goal for the club was against Chelsea... what a goal it was, by the way.

Havertz has had his moments during this dry patch. For example, he helped change the game when he was brought on against Lille, providing an assist in that cameo.

However, it's hard to ignore the fact that Havertz hasn't been up to the standard he normally is. The consistency has been lacking, but there's a solution.

Arsenal should bench Kai Havertz for Viktor Gyokeres against Everton

The solution is simple: Mikel Arteta must bench Havertz against Everton this weekend and give the starting role to Viktor Gyokeres. It is not a punishment for Havertz, and the switch shouldn't be set in stone. However, doing so is a win-win for Gyokeres and Havertz.

Unlike Havertz, Gyokeres has been an asset to Arsenal when he's been subbed in. The Swede is playing better for the Gunners against the low blocks they're facing, and particularly in the last two games, he has helped to change the game for Arsenal.

Against Nottingham Forest, Gyokeres used his physicality well. He acted as a great outlet for Arsenal, and his teammates felt comfortable playing off him - a sentence I never thought I'd say about Gyokeres in a false-nine type role, but hey, football can be weird sometimes.

Then, midweek, Gyokeres was excellent against Bayern Munich. It was clear that the Bayern defence didn't know how to contain him, and he even bagged an assist for himself, helping Declan Rice to score Arsenal's late equaliser.

Resting Kai Havertz suits him, too

It is Arteta's duty to capitalise on Arsenal's strengths and limit their weaknesses. As harsh as it sounds, Havertz is a weakness for Arsenal right now. Well, he's not doing anything wrong per se, but he's hardly doing anything right either, which in turn becomes a weak point in a title-challenging team.

Everton presents a great opportunity for Arteta to rotate his squad. He won't rotate too heavily - obviously, this is the Premier League after all - but he will give those players knocking on the door an opportunity. Gyokeres has been one of those players, and it would afford some much-needed rest for Havertz, too.

There is every possibility that Havertz is playing through the injury he sustained while on international duty with Germany. That's a pretty convincing theory, considering he came out of the break weaker than he went into it.

Either way, resting Havertz is a net positive. Again, this isn't a punishment, nor is it a reflection of any distrust for Havertz - if Arsenal can trust anyone, it's him - it is instead an opportunity to try something new.

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