Arsenal’s Kai Havertz opened the scoring for Germany in their match against Turkey despite being played in a shocking and unconventional position by Julian Nagelsmann.
However, the former Chelsea man was impressive for Germany under the new manager as he put his nation ahead against Turkey in a friendly in Berlin after just five minutes.
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann made the rather unusual decision to deploy Havertz as a left wing-back and it worked out well even though Germany ended up losing 3-2.
After tying the score with his goal, Turkey’s Ferdi Kadioglu subsequently assisted his fellow countryman Kenan Yildiz in putting the away team in the lead.
Borussia Dortmund’s striker Niclas Fullkrug pulled Germany level after the first goal scored by Kai Havertz but a clean penalty from Yusuf Sari saw Turkey triumph.
It will be interesting to watch if Germany, which will host Euro 2024 next year, will keep Arsenal’s Kai Havertz on the left side of the defense or allow him to play his usual wing.
Havertz has majorly played in the midfield during his time at Bayern Leverkusen, Chelsea, and now with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and he can also play up front or as a winger.
Since he signed for the Gunners in the summer, he has scored just one goal in 19 appearances, with that goal coming from the penalty spot away to Bournemouth.
Kai Havertz
Kai Lukas Havertz is a German footballer who was born on 11th June, 1999 and plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for the German national team and most recently joined Arsenal.
He became the club’s youngest-ever debutant in the Bundesliga. He also became their youngest-ever goalscorer when he scored his first goal the following year.
His performances in the Bundesliga sparked interest from European clubs but Chelsea won the race to sign him in 2020 for a transfer fee worth €84 million (£72 million), making him Chelsea’s second-most expensive signing at the time.
Havertz won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021 with Chelsea and scored the winning goals in the Champions League and Club World Cup finals.
Havertz has previously represented Germany at various youth levels before making his senior international debut in September 2018, making history as the first player born in 1999 to play for the national team. He represented Germany in UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
How Good Is Havertz?
Kai Havertz has been described as a technically gifted, two-footed attacking midfielder who is comfortable with the ball on either foot and adept with his head.
During the early years of his career, his style of play drew comparisons with former Arsenal star Mesut Özil, with Havertz admitting that Özil was his idol.
