*This episode should’ve came out a month ago…* 😅
Oh well, better late than never, am I right! 🙌
Level with me here, bro… Is there a more polarizing attacking player at the highest level at the moment? People either think he’s an absolute gem or think he’s completely 💩. They can say whatever they want; because Kai Havertz simply cannot be ignored!
One of the major reasons as to why we’ve chosen to do this episode is down to the fact that there aren’t many who understand the true essence of Kai as a player. He’s a product of the Bayer Leverkusen academy set up and was touted as one of the best players under 20 years old around the time he made his way into Leverkusen’s first team. He was an absolute maverick of a player (still is, to be fair), with his languid frame, technical capabilties and football IQ allowing him to cause many a defense up and down Germany a whole heap of issues. Fast forward to the present and that same wonder kid is now a 24 year old that many are straching their head wondering what kind of player he actually is, what’s his best role, and how do you get the most out of such natural talent.
Welp, that’s why we’re here… 😁
SM24 ATTRIBUTES
There have been circles around European Punditry who like to compare Havertz to Bulgarian legend Dimitar Berbatov due to his nonchalant approach and technical brilliance, but we honestly see more of a comparison to modern day Antoinne Griezmann (who will be getting his very own episode after this season is completed) based on both of them being technically and tactically brilliant, in addition to being quite hardworking players. Their frames may differ, but we can guarantee that Havertz will end up playing more like an ‘8’ once he gets into his 30’s similarly to what Griezmann does for France and sometimes for Atleti…
Havertz is a traditional German attacker in terms of his technical nuance with his best attributes being what he provides closer around the 18 yard box. He’s a player who does the hard yards and also uses his 6’4″ frame to good use when the ball is airborne. But, we must mention that so far he hasn’t really displayed the mentality required to be the best of the best as he has suffered with inconsistency issues ever since leaving Leverkusen. 2024 has been going great for him though as he’s started the year in top form and we can only hope that he can keep it up, for Arsenal’s sake.
But yeah, let’s dive more deeply into these attributes because I believe that we’ve got some changes to make… *cracks knuckles*
TECHNICAL ATTRIBUTES
WHAT WE THINK
First off, his role… As good of a form that Kai has been in 2024, he actually has never played his best whilst operating as a F(C). DON’T GET ME WRONG, he can more than play there, drop deep into the midfield and link up with his teammates, but he struggles whenever being tasked to play with his back to goal and just doesn’t have the physicality to do the job. Take someone like Roberto Firmino, for example… Not only was the white teethed Brazilian exceptional with the ball at his feet, but he was stronger than what people think, and this Strength allowed him to be more effective with his back to goal since playing as a lone F(C) will require you to have to do that part of the job even if you’re tasked as a ‘D.L.F’ (unless you’re Messi, ofcourse)… The only time Kai should be given this role is when he’s playing with a strike partner in a 3-5-2, for example. Therefore, we’ve given him the role as an ‘Advanced Playmaker’ (specifically, a ‘Floating Advanced Playmaker’) who will be granted all of the freedom in the world to showcase ‘Leverkusen Havertz’.
Next, we have his positions… Gone were the days where Havertz was an exuberant 18 year old who would start off the right and tuck in when his team has possession of the ball. One of the major reasons why this worked was because he was young and would do anything to get in the team. Now, he’s a bit full of himself and although he has an exceptional engine (more on that later), Kai simply cannot be bothered with starting off the right which is why we’ve given him the central three of M(C), AM(C), and F(C) to play in. You can call him a “Centre Man”…
*🥁*
😅……😐
In terms of his technical attributes, the gripe for seeing players not having proper Positioning continues… If there’s one thing that Kai does well is the fact that he is almost flawless in placing himself in the right place to receive the ball or to drag opposition players out of their comfort zone. The only reason why it’s just ’82’ is because it has been improved from a ’42’ (which by itself is simply ridiculous…🤦♂️); he may have shown some goal scoring instincts back at Leverkusen, but ever since he’s left he has not been prolific enough to warrant that level of Finishing, so we’ve took some of it off…; Havertz also doesn’t score a lot of goals outside of the box, so won’t really say he’s that good at Long Shots…; What he is though is a very creative player who has that ability to create for himself and for others and is deserving of a higher Creativity attribute.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
For a player of his profile, Havertz has a bit of an engine on him and has the capability of turning into a man possessed when out of possession. Like we stated earlier, he uses his 6’4″ frame well and is very effective in the air, but that Pace he’s been given is quite laughable, to be honest. Not even at Leverkusen did he have break neck type of Pace since his game doesn’t rely on speed…; His Stamina is okay since he’s a nuisance in terms of having the chops to do the job for his team but sometimes doesn’t care, his Strength is also about right since one of the biggest critiques of his game since he’s been in England is the fact that he gets brushed off the ball too easily, but a ’75’ for Workrate is downright disrespectful man, cause this lad can put in a proper shift when he’s up for it!
WHAT WE THINK
MENTAL ATTRIBUTES
The one aspect of Kai’s game that simply needs to be improved… He can go from scoring a CL winning goal one week to not being able to put a string of passes together the next. He plays with this “I could care less” attitude, and we could be wrong here, but this is just looking from the outside in.
Anywho, let’s talk about:
WHAT WE THINK
The one aspect of his game that has been highlighted is his lack of presence even though being so tall which is why his Aggression needed to be decreased; He still oozes with elegance and rarely makes mistakes when he’s on his game, so his Composure HAD to go up; Concentration is about right…; Never truly been a Flair player since that’s not his style, and has never shown qualities of a proper leader and is in need of a switch up.
To wrap up today’s Kai Havertz special, we believe that Kai is a ‘Floating Advanced Playmaker’ who works best in a ‘No.10’ position surrounded by similar players that like to roam around, infront of at least one conducting M(C), behind of a ‘Target Man’ style F(C), who can also play in a midfield 3, and double up with a strike partner in a front 2.
Hope this was helpful! Happy Soccermanagering! ✌️
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