Arsenal icon Ian Wright warns Mikel Arteta not to lose star talent, who was crucial to Arsenal’s 5-0 victory against Sheffield this evening. “He can also do what Bellingham is doing at Real Madrid here at Arsenal if you help him unlock his potential.” Not Odegard, Smith Rowe, nor Nketiah.
Jude Bellingham’s performance against Barcelona serves as Mikel Arteta’s ideal blueprint for releasing Arsenal’s superstar.
Arsenal could determine Kai Havertz’s ideal position by using Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham as a model.
By looking to Real Madrid and their star addition Jude Bellingham, Arsenal may be able to solve their placement issue with Kai Havertz. The England international has been nothing short of extraordinary since joining Real Madrid in the summer, contributing three assists and 13 goals in his first 13 games across all competitions.
In the most important match of the season, the El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday, he performed at his peak. The teenager played a significant role in the match once more, first scoring from outside the area to draw the score and then entering the game in stoppage time to give his team the victory.
Therefore, drawing comparisons between the two players may cause considerable concern and doubt regarding any potential internal resemblance. In addition to having quite different personalities and types, one is succeeding and being hailed as one of the best purchases of the summer, while the other is facing mounting pressure to live up to his high price.
Contrary to popular belief, there are more parallels between their forms. First, it’s crucial to discuss Havertz’s journey to this point, when a lot of people are unsure of his place in the world. The Germany international was one of the more sought-after young players at Bayer Leverkusen, so he’s not merely a bad player—these players don’t lose their quality over night.
With goals from the penalty spot, with both feet and his head, Havertz appeared to be the next big thing in Europe. His best performance came from a role where he would enter spaces that other players, more intent on the striker, left open.
Playing with Kevin Volland, a tall target-man-like striker who could keep defenders occupied, was one of the biggest advantages at the time. With box-crashing runs and headers in the remaining space, the seasoned forward would be applying pressure to the defense and swooping in to reach the back of the net.
After moving to Chelsea, it was anticipated that his Leverkusen goals would be carried over to the Premier League. But instead of fitting into his usual function, the young player was seen as the center-forward himself, and with his height, he might perhaps fulfill this job.
It never quite worked out, though, because Havertz was now creating space instead of consuming it, thus the opportunities he was presented with were different. Since joining Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has expanded his role to include midfield play; nonetheless, he is more dependent on winning duels than on finding the same opportunities as Martin Odegaard, who is more experienced.
Havertz’s best position has been there since his days in the Bundesliga, but this has caused some people to wonder where it is. It’s true that Jude Bellingham, an English midfielder, is replicating the feat in La Liga.
For the same reasons that Havertz found, goal scoring has become a trend for the young player at Los Blancos. Not Volland, who is finding space in the pockets behind a massive striker and playing off of him, but Joselu’s return to Real Madrid.
In the El Clasico, he capitalized on this by occupying the area his attacker had left open on the box’s edge and then advancing the defense farther inside the box to receive a cross that would buy him time to shoot. In the winner, Bellingham was able to reach that gap freely because he disappeared into space behind the backline while everyone else was focusing somewhere else.
If that wasn’t enough, Diego Simeone, the manager of Atletico Madrid, summarised it perfectly when he orchestrated a 3-1 victory over his local rivals by lessening Bellingham’s influence. The Rojiblancos manager said, “Jude Bellingham frequently takes advantage of Joselu’s aerial game.” “His spaces were reduced without Joselu.”
It might clarify his advantages and disadvantages in a manner similar to how Havertz attained his prior accomplishment. Since neither Eddie Nketiah nor Gabriel Jesus offer the aerial presence up front, Arsenal’s challenge would be to find a striker during the January or summer transfer window.
Whether Havertz or Bellingham succeeds at their respective clubs is still to be known, but this illustrates how a player’s perspective may be significantly altered by playing to their strengths.
