"He makes things happen in the middle of the park" - Pundit claims he would have Liverpool midfielder in his team over Arsenal's Kai Havertz
Football pundit Craig Burley would prefer Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones in his team over Arsenal's summer signing Kai Havertz.
The Germany international struggled to get accustomed to Mikel Arteta's tactics at the Emirates initially and only got on the scoresheet once in September before finding form in November. The £65 million signing enjoyed a fine spell of form right before the festive period, racking up four goals in seven games.
But Kai Havertz is struggling again, with Arsenal dropping points in their last league three games, including losses against Aston Villa and Fulham. Both games saw the German fail to affect proceedings, which led Craig Burley to compare him with Liverpool's Curtis Jones.
The pundit told ESPN (via TBR Football):
“We know Kai Havertz has been a big talking point. (Considering he cost) £65 million, why wouldn’t he be? I’d have Curtis Jones ahead of him. (Not just) because he got a goal (during Monday’s 4-2 victory over Newcastle United), but because he makes things happen in the middle of the park. He gets on the ball, he drives forward, and he’s a homegrown player.”
Curtis Jones has enjoyed a strong return of three goals and three assists in 19 games across all competitions this season. On the other hand, Havertz has scored five goals and provided one assist across 28 games.
Liverpool dealt injury blow ahead of Arsenal FA Cup clash with midfielder Dominik Szobozlai unavailable
Liverpool have been dealt an injury blow ahead of their FA Cup third-round clash against Arsenal as key midfielder Dominik Szobozlai has been sidelined due to injury.
The Hungary international was forced off the pitch during the Reds' 4-2 win over Newcastle United, which saw Mohamed Salah score twice. After the game, Jurgen Klopp spoke to the press, revealing the nature of his injury and the scans that would be required for further assessment (via SportBible):
“It's an injury. Muscle, hamstring. We will have to see. Dom is very positive, not a lot of pain but no chance for Sunday. Not for then Wednesday. Then we will see. After that, hopefully, he might be back but we don't know.”
The timing of this injury will certainly be a cause for concern for the higher-ups at Anfield as Liverpool already have Wataru Endo and Mohamed Salah out of contention. Both players are currently on international duty.