Havertz goes from hero to villain as Arsenal star plays in new position
Struggling Arsenal star Kai Havertz endured a rollercoaster night after he was surprisingly deployed at left-back for Germany.
Havertz, 24, was given the eyebrow-raising task of playing in defence by Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann ahead of Saturday's friendly clash with Turkey. It didn't take much time for Arsenal's divisive £65million signing to shine, as after just five minutes he scored his 14th goal in international football.
Following good build-up play for the Euro 2024 hosts, the ball found its way to former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane on the right-hand side of the six-yard box. From there, the Bayern Munich ace squared it Havertz, who had a tap-in to open the scoring.
Germany - who've been well below their usual standards for much of the past half-decade, leading to Nagelsmann's appointment in September - soon found themselves 2-1 down, though, as Turkey came from behind in Berlin. Fortunately for the home side, Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug restored parity shortly after half-time by finishing off a rapid counter attack.
Things then took a turn for the worse for Havertz and his team-mates, as the 24-year-old was deemed to have handled the ball inside their own penalty area. A quick VAR check saw Turkey awarded a penalty, which was scored by Yusuf Sari to make it 3-2, and that's how it finished in the German capital.
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There was shock around the Olympiastadion and on social media ahead of kick-off when it was confirmed that Havertz would be starting at left-back. The former Chelsea ace has played as either a midfielder or forward throughout the entirety his career, but Nagelsmann had other plans.
"Kai won't always be in this position," the Germany manager, who was sacked by Bayern earlier this year, told RTL. "I have a great idea, he's an exceptionally good footballer. This is a very good option. He won't always play as a classic left-back."
Get involved! Will Kai Havertz come good at Arsenal? Join the debate in the comments section.
Kai Havertz had to show his defensive skills after being selected to start at left-back (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)Perhaps it'll give Mikel Arteta some inspiration for the remainder of the season, as Havertz is yet found his feet after making the summer move across London. After briefly losing his place in Arteta's preferred XI, the ex- Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid has regularly started in place of injured Gunners captain Martin Odegaard in recent weeks.
Havertz has, however, failed to register a goal or assist since the 1-0 victory over City on October 8 and fans are growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of output after taking up so much of their summer transfer budget. Arsenal return to Premier League action this Saturday, making the trip across town to face Brentford.
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