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The international break is not the most-popular concept among most Premier League fans. Many see it as an irritating interruption to the absorbing club season, but it can often provide some intriguing stories of its own.Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann provided one of the most eye-catching narratives of the most recent pause by <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/kai-havertz-left-wing-back-germany-julian-nagelsmann-arsenal-turkey/blteaa3f1531f6b077b" target="_blank">shockingly deploying Kai Havertz at left-back for Die Mannschaft's games against Turkey and Austria.</a>Havertz has played in a string of positions during his career so far - midfield, second striker, out wide and centre-forward. Still, nobody expected his versatility to extend as far as being able to play in a defensive role. Quizzed on his decision before the Turkey game, Nagelsmann responded in forthright fashion: "I have a great idea, he's an exceptionally good footballer. This is a very good option."<script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

Kai Havertz at left-back?! Should Mikel Arteta follow Julian Nagelsmann's lead and move Germany star into defence to kickstart Arsenal career?

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Despite the ex-Bayern Munich boss' confidence, it was hard not to raise an eyebrow when Havertz trudged over to the left wing at the Olympiastadion in Berlin to take his place alongside Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rudiger and Benjamin Henrichs in the back four.However, inside five minutes, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/kai-havertz-left-wing-back-germany-julian-nagelsmann-arsenal-turkey/blteaa3f1531f6b077b" target="_blank">the Arsenal man had scored</a>, sweeping home Leroy Sane's cross after the ball broke from a set-play. It was a nice moment, especially considering how badly Havertz has struggled in front of goal since joining the Gunners, but it told us little about how he might fare as a left-back long-term.As the game progressed, though, there were a few promising signs in this regard. Havertz scampered forward each time Germany were in possession, generally staying wide as opposed to coming inside, as is all the rage in the Premier League currently.Despite this attacking intent, he was not culpable for either of Turkey's first-half goals, matching up well against his opposite number. The blame for each of those must instead be apportioned to right-back Henrichs, whose positioning was lax for both strikes.Turkey's third, however, scored after Niclas Fullkrug had levelled the scores up in the 49th minute, did involve Havertz. He was penalised for handball in the box, rather unfortunately, when his arm was deemed to have been in an 'unnatural position' when it blocked Abdulkerim Barakci's volleyed cross. Yusuf Sari would then dispatch the resulting penalty.That moment aside, Havertz enjoyed a pretty solid first outing in his new role. He got up and down the wing, though his defensive positioning was a little suspect at times, and made a team-high five clearances, as well as registering two interceptions. He got on the ball far more frequently than he has been for his club recently too, registering more touches (63) than he's managed in all-but one of his Arsenal appearances so far.Nagelsmann was certainly impressed, saying at full-time: "Kai said he wanted to do it, wanted to try it. I don't see this as a risk for him, but as a very, very big opportunity to play a key role at the Euros. For a first time in an unfamiliar position, he did extremely well and probably was our best player."

Nagelsmann's surprise pays off?

Not everyone was as enthused by the experiment, with Lothar Matthaus one of Nagelsmann's most vocal critics. The Germany legend wrote in his column: "It can’t be a permanent solution if we suddenly let one of the best German offensive players of recent years play full-back. This is also a slap in the face to those who have played there recently, even if there were problems on the left side of the defence."Nagelsmann was not deterred by this criticism, again fielding Havertz at left-back for his team's trip to Vienna. Germany repeated their ultra-attacking approach and were torn apart by Ralf Rangnick's side in transition. By the time Marcel Sabitzer made it 1-0 just before the half-hour mark, they could have already been two goals down. Things got even worse early in the second half when <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/germany-leroy-sane-apologises-red-disappointing-austria-loss-julian-nagelsmann-struggles-continue/blte91254bc24f2f539" target="_blank">Leroy Sane was sent off for a brainless shove on Phillipp Mwene</a>. That dismissal ended round two of the Havertz experiment early as he shifted to a right-sided attacking role before being subbed off 13 minutes from time - shortly after Christoph Baumgartner scored Austria's second. When he was at left-back, Havertz again looked comfortable enough defensively and carved open a few opportunities for his team-mates, finding an unmarked Sane with an inch-perfect crossfield pass late in the first half. But after the game, his new position was scarcely addressed. As one might expect, the significance of Germany succumbing to back-to-back defeats attracted far more interest.

Don't back down, double down

This latest pair of worrying results continue the trend of Germany's long-term demise as a footballing superpower, with both the men's and women's senior sides exiting their most recent World Cups in the group stage.It's not just on-field results that are the issue either. There is also a startling lack of connection between the national team and the supporters, with many fans choosing to boycott Qatar 2022. Havertz himself addressed this recently, saying: "We had no support. There were also other reasons for this, we understand that. But there was also no support in terms of football. We were on our own."The reasons for this severing of emotional ties are complex. One key issue is the perceived overcommericalisation of the national team, but the chaos in the dugout and on the pitch has certainly not helped things either. Hansi Flick was supposed to bring some order on the men's side, but failed, becoming the <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/hansi-flick-sacked-germany-head-coach-ultimate-price-japan-mauling-rudi-voller-france-friendly/blta83c535739be82d7" target="_blank">first Germany manager to ever be sacked</a> in September following a terrible run of results.Nagelsmann had offered some hope in the previous international break, leading the team to <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/usmnt-player-ratings-vs-germany-christian-pulsiic/bltc0886f879c57c15e" target="_blank">positive results against the United States</a> and Mexico, but the Turkey and Austria defeats have swiftly extinguished hopes of a swift revival. It's clear that the new coach is still not sure what he wants the team to be. Opting to play Havertz in a brand new role speaks to this, even if left-back has been a real problem area over the past few years.He tried to explain his gung-ho approach after the Austria game, saying: "We're not defensive monsters. We won’t be defensive monsters next summer either. That's not us. Our players play at clubs where they have to focus less on defence and more on attack."It's a bold way to play, especially with a tournament around the corner, and the stress of potentially having to thrive in an unfamiliar position is unlikely to help Havertz get back to his best at club level any time soon.

Indicative of a wider malaise 

Despite its challenges, the international break likely came as welcome respite for the £65-million ($81.5m) man. The stats since Havertz joined Arsenal from Chelsea this summer make for grim reading.He's managed just one goal and one assist in 19 appearances so far, with his poor 2022-23 form for the Blues bleeding over into the current season. It's not just the lack of attacking output that's been concerning either. Even Havertz's most staunch supporters would struggle to defend his start in north London.There's a growing list of grimace-inducing moments that will have worried manager Mikel Arteta: his air kick against Manchester United, him <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/watch-newcastle-left-raging-arsenal-kai-havertz-escapes-red-card-wild-challenge-sean-longstaff/blt796d7e4fff82ef3a" target="_blank">somehow avoiding a red card at Newcastle</a> and that pitiful first-minute header in the Sevilla game. More generally, there's a feeling that he looks a little lost each time he takes to the field, with his body language being criticised.He's underperformed his Premier League xG by a team-high 1.2 this season and isn't carving out many chances much either; 14 Arsenal players are averaging more shot-creating actions in the Premier League this season.

Havertz looks absolutely lost 

Confidence is clearly an issue, as it was during his time at Stamford Bridge, but there are increasing concerns that Havertz might not have the skill set to play in the role Arteta is asking of him. The Spaniard has principally deployed him as a shuttling No.8 to the right-hand side of Declan Rice when Martin Odegaard was fit, or Jorginho when the England international has been pushed forward in the absence of the Gunners skipper. In truth, though, Havertz has not affected games frequently enough from this role. He's not excelled in driving past opponents, arriving late in the box or threading through balls to the forwards - and the stats back this up. When everyone is fit again, it would not be shocking to see Havertz drop to the bench, with Rice and Odegaard playing in front of the resurgent Jorginho. Unless...It may seem mad, but if anyone is brave enough to follow Nagelsmann's lead and give Havertz a go at left-back at the very-top level, it's Arteta. To determine whether there's any chance of that happening, it's worth contemplating what Arteta wants from that role in his system. Injuries have led to some tinkering at left-back of late, but when he's fit, Oleksandr Zinchenko has generally been the man. The Ukrainian was one of the early flag bearers for the inverted full-back role and his tactical intelligence helps give Arsenal numerical superiority in midfield. In theory, Havertz might be a decent fit in a similar role. Confidence issues or not, the German remains supremely composed in possession. He'd likely offer more on the ball than Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has been the alternative for Zinchenko in recent times. And, as his brief cameos for Die Mannschaft suggested, Havertz is no slouch defensively. Over time, it's not inconceivable that he could adapt to his requirements when his team don't have the ball.

New position at the Emirates? 

Despite this, it's hard to envisage Arteta mimicking Nagelsmann's experiment while the stakes remain so high for Arsenal. The Gunners are out of the Carabao Cup, are still not 100 percent guaranteed of Champions League qualification and remain engaged in a thrilling Premier League title race. Only a defensive injury crisis or a kind FA Cup draw will present the opportunity for Havertz to play in this new role.For now then, he desperately needs to find a spark in midfield. Arteta has been supportive of Havertz publicly, as have his team-mates - <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/arsenal-player-ratings-vs-bournemouth-bukayo-saka-and-martin-odegaard-too-good-kai-havertz/blt201c9ca3ba2a5c21" target="_blank">evidenced by their decision to gift him a chance to score from the penalty spot against Bournemouth</a> back in September.He shut down the latest question about the 24 year old's poor start by replying: "I'm not going to put it on any individual. We are a team." The noise from outside the camp has been less kind, however. Former Arsenal skipper <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/kai-havertz-flop-arsenal-william-gallas-gbp65m-signing/bltcf433cfacbae0680" target="_blank">William Gallas has tipped Havertz to be a failure in north London</a>, while pundit Chris Sutton recently described him as a "<a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/kai-havertz-sympathy-penalties-arsenal-decision-making-body-language/bltd24c14d6849c8c33" target="_blank">broken man</a>"."Havertz looks a broken man, a player with absolutely zero confidence. Having been there myself, it’s not a nice place to be. The effort is there but he seems muddled. decision-making isn’t good. He’s trying but looking at his body language… He needs a break, a big moment. Not sympathy penalties like earlier in the season," he said.This assessment is on the money. It's hard to recall a player who's ever needed the rub of the green more in recent memory. Fellow summer arrival Rice - who arrived with similarly lofty expectations - has already had his moment, sending the Emirates into delirium by <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/arsenal-man-utd-winners-losers-declan-rice-kai-havertz-rasmus-hojlund/blt9841e3f88fb09d38" target="_blank">grabbing the winner against Manchester United back in September</a>. He hasn't looked back since, emerging as an early contender to win <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/arsenal-player-of-the-season-2023-24-power-rankings/blt34077c33f5731ad9" target="_blank">Arsenal's Player of the Season award</a>.Havertz desperately needs a defining contribution of his own to get the critics off his back, and with a London derby against Brentford and potential Champions League qualification decider with Lens around the corner, the stage appears to be set.

Havertz needs to find a spark soon

Kai Havertz at left-back?! Should Mikel Arteta follow Julian Nagelsmann's lead and move Germany star into defence to kickstart Arsenal career? | Goal.com English Kuwait

Kai Havertz was deployed in a surprising new position for Germany - but should he really change roles for Arsenal?