Ange Postecoglou watched his Tottenham Hotspur side suffer a gut-wrenching defeat to Arsenal on home soil last season.
One man who proved to be a pain in the backside for the Tottenham boss was the rejuvenated Kai Havertz.
The versatile Arsenal star scored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Ange Postecoglou was asked at Euro 2024 what it’s like facing the 25-year-old.
Germany booked their quarter-final ticket at Euro 2024 on Saturday when they beat Denmark 2-0, with Kai Havertz opening the scoring from the penalty spot.
Postecoglou interestingly suggested that one of the reasons why Havertz divides opinion is because you can’t ‘pigeon-hole’ him into one area of the pitch.
The former Chelsea player can play as a number eight, ten, nine and even out wide. He has done this throughout his career.
But even with his Spurs hat on, Postecoglou even realised the brilliance of the player and was spitting the truth by stating that he has ‘smart movement’, as he told ITV Sport.
Postecoglou added that Arsenal ‘don’t have a focal point’, so it’s difficult to shut down an area of the pitch, with their ‘£60 million down the drain’ player leading the line.
That form for Arsenal has led to Julian Nagelsmann picking him as his starting striker even though Niclas Fullkrug helped Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League final.
So far, Havertz has rewarded his manager with two goals and Germany are in the last eight where they will meet either Spain or Georgia.
Kai Havertz scores for Germany against Denmark at Euro 2024
“I think with Havertz, he is one of these players where because they can’t pigeon-hole him into one position they struggle to find ways to judge his contribution,” said Postecoglou.
“The one thing he does have is that he is really smart with his movement. He always finds little areas to forward. Once he gets into the box, he is a decent finisher, at times, and then he brings other players into it.
“A lot of his work is about creating space for others. When you play Arsenal, in particular, they don’t have this focal point where you say ‘we will shut down this area’. There is so much movement and he is the catalyst for that. He has got the height and the physical presence. And he is always presenting for the ball – when you are setting up against him, he can cause you a lot of problems.”
Kai Havertz for Arsenal next season
Postecoglou is going to get a pretty early taste of Havertz and the north London derby after failing to win a significant derby in his debut campaign.
At the start of September, Spurs will welcome Arsenal to their home ground and it’s going to be a massive early test for both teams.
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Mikel Arteta has ambitions of winning the Premier League title and their rivals want to get back with the elite.
All in all, you expect Havertz to be leading the line on that day because he has now become a regular starter for his team and needs to hit double figures in goals again if Arsenal are to win the Premier League title.
The post 'They struggle': Ange Postecoglou spits the truth about Arsenal's Kai Havertz as Germany win again appeared first on HITC.
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