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Arsenal have built one of the strongest squads in Europe.
Andrea Berta’s eight new signings last summer have given Mikel Arteta depth and quality across the pitch. The Gunners have at least two top-level players in every position, and that has helped them cope with injuries very well.
However, not every combination the Arsenal manager has used was part of the original plan.
Two of Arsenal’s biggest attacking options – Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz – were never supposed to play together, but that has suddenly changed.
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Graphic credit: GRV Media’s TalkingPoints Mikel Arteta never wanted Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres to play together at Arsenal
Even though Gyokeres joined Arsenal last summer, it took until January for him to share the pitch with Havertz for the first time.
That came against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League, where the duo looked surprisingly effective together and combined for two goals.
Since then, they have featured alongside each other six more times, but this was never part of Arteta’s original plan.
The idea at the start of the season was for Havertz to lead the line, with Gyokeres gradually easing into Premier League football.
The Swedish striker was expected to be used selectively, depending on the opposition, rather than as a regular starter straight away.
However, Havertz’s early-season injury forced a change in approach, and Gyokeres ended up playing far more than initially planned.
That situation has now led to the two forming an unexpected partnership, giving Arsenal a different dimension in attack.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty ImagesKai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres should only play together under one condition
The Havertz-Gyokeres partnership can definitely work, but only if the structure around them is right.
We think the two players need to have a proper number 10 starting with them – someone like Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Max Dowman or even Ethan Nwaneri.
That creative presence is essential to produce chances, as Havertz is not renowned for his key passes even when he starts as a number 10.
For that reason, we think Arteta should only use this partnership at Arsenal when one of his natural creators is available.
If not, it would make more sense to start either Havertz or Gyokeres individually rather than forcing them into the same line-up just for the sake of it.
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