Former Scotland striker Ally McCoist was baffled by something one Arsenal star did in the first half against Chelsea on Tuesday evening.
Arsenal got off to a flying start when they welcomed Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners knew that they needed to win this match in order to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table, and Leandro Trossard duly fired them ahead from a tight angle with just four minutes on the clock.
However, with the Blues posing a real threat on the counter-attack, Mikel Arteta will have wanted to see his side build on their lead as ruthlessly as possible. Arsenal did have chances to double their advantage, at the very least, before half-time.
Ally McCoist stunned by Kai Havertz decision in Arsenal win v Chelsea
One of these opportunities, ten minutes into the match, fell to Kai Havertz. The German had time and space inside the visitors’ penalty area, and an angle looked to have opened up from him to pick out the far corner of the net.
However, against his former club, he neglected to pull the trigger and instead opted to roll a tentative pass across the six yard box in search of a teammate. His pass was swiftly cleared by a Chelsea defender and the chance was gone.
Arteta could be seen gesticulating on the sidelines in exasperation, as the Emirates Stadium faithful groaned. Havertz has shone as a striker for Arsenal in recent months, but one of his occasional flaws – a lack of killer instinct – came to the surface here to the Gunners’ cost.
Ally McCoist, speaking on TNT Sports (23/04/2024, 20:10), was shocked by the 24-year-old’s decision not to shoot. The pundit said “I’m not sure there’s another No. 9 on the planet that passes the ball there.”
Arsenal see both sides of Kai Havertz v Chelsea
Indeed, there is a question as to whether Havertz really is a No. 9 at all. That role was not the one that the North London club had in mind for him when they shelled out £65 million to prise him away from Stamford Bridge in the recent summer transfer window.
It was clear, then, that Arteta viewed Havertz as a midfielder, and he has been used regularly in that role this season, but has failed to really impress on a consistent basis in that part of the pitch. In the meantime, Arsenal have been linked with a host of strikers, and bringing a clinical finisher to the club this summer is considered a must by many.
In the second half against Chelsea, though, Havertz more than made amends for his first-half lapse as he scored twice to contribute towards this thrashing of the West London club. He showed after the break that he is in fact capable of being deadly in front of goal.