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Arsenal fans have reacted to Kai Havertz playing as a left-back in Germany's 3-2 defeat to Turkey in an international friendly on Saturday, November 18.
Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann surprisingly chose to play Havertz as a left-back at the Olympiastadion Berlin. The move looked to have worked wonders as the 24-year-old gave his side the lead in the fifth minute.
Ferdi Kadioglu equalised for Turkey in the 38th minute before Kenan Yildiz made it 2-1 in the first-half stoppage time. Niclas Fullkrug restored parity in the 49th minute before Havertz was penalised for a handball in the box. Yusuf Sari stepped up and converted the penalty to secure the win for Turkey.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter), though, were excited to see Havertz feature in an unfamiliar role. The German had a passing accuracy of 78%, had 1/2 successful dribbles, attempted two shots, won 50% of his duels, and made five clearances.
After the game, Arsenal fans shared their reaction to his performance, as one wrote:
"New position activated"
Another fan tweeted:
"That guy keeps confusing the coaches"
Here are some more reactions as Havertz plays a left-back for Germany against Turkey:
Havertz has mostly played as a central or attacking midfielder or a centre-forward. His three-year spell at Chelsea as a central forward was unimpressive as he registered just 32 goals and 15 assists in 139 games.
The German then joined Arsenal for £65 million in the summer but has mostly struggled in midfield. He has recorded just one goal and one assist in 19 games across competitions.
Former Arsenal attacker says Mikel Arteta should sell Kai Havertz
The Gunners brought in Kai Havertz in the summer to much surprise due to his underwhelming stint as a forward with Chelsea. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, though, has mostly used him as a midfielder, a role which he excelled in with Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Havertz has failed to live up to the standards, not just in his goal contributions but his performances as well. Former Gunners winger Jermaine Pennant reckons that they need to sell the German as he told King Casino Bonus (via Mirror):
''I need to talk about Kai Havertz before I answer that. That signing hasn't worked.
"I thought I'd give him some time to settle in, but that period is over now. I think he's been a poor signing. I don't understand what he brings to the team as he's not scoring or assisting. It's bizarre as Arteta seems to believe in him."
Havertz registered 46 goals and 31 assists in 150 games for Bayer Leverkusen but hasn't been able to replicate the same with Chelsea or Arsenal so far. He will next be in action for Germany in their friendly against Austria on Tuesday, November 21.
