"Man is finished," "Don't give ideas to Mikel" - Fans react as Arsenal star starts in unnatural position for 2nd game in a row in friendly
Arsenal star Kai Havertz has seen himself picked as the left-back once again for Germany. The former Chelsea forward played as the full-back in the defeat to Turkey last week and was picked in the same position again by Julian Nagelsmann for the clash with Austria.
The Chelsea fans were quick to claim that Havertz was 'finished', while the Arsenal fans were concerned that it was going to give Mikel Arteta more ideas to use the German star. Many others were left puzzled as they believed even the coaches were unable to figure out the best position on the pitch for him.
Here are some of the best reactions today:
Kai Havertz scored on his debut as the left-back for Germany last week but was unable to help them win against Turkey. It was the same again on Tuesday night as Austria managed an easy 2-0 win over the 2014 World Cup winners.
Lothar Matthaus slams Julian Nagelsmann for decision on Arsenal star
Lothar Matthaus was furious with Julian Nagelsmann after the Germany coach started Kai Havertz as the left-back. He claimed that the national team manager was making a huge mistake with the Arsenal star as he was forcing one of their best forwards to play as a full-back.
He added that it could not be a permanent solution as David Raum is available to play and should be used as the left-back ahead of the Arsenal star. He said on Sky Deutschland:
“It can't be a permanent solution, suddenly letting one of the best German offensive players of recent years play full-back. This is also a slap in the face to those who last played there, even if there were problems on the left side of the defense recently.
"I was surprised that David Raum wasn't in the starting line-up, especially since Benjamin Henrichs played on the other side, who is not a typical three-man chain player but rather has his strengths in the offensive."
He added:
"The national team can actually already play the three-man chain, as Nagelsmann practised at FC Bayern Munich, with three central defenders. But against Turkey, there were two central defenders on the pitch, plus an offensive defender on the right and a player on the left who had previously had nothing to do with a three-man or four-man chain. After Havertz's goal, it initially looked as if Nagelsmann's plan might work, but as a coach, I have to think long-term, not just from one game to the next.”
Julian Nagelsmann has revealed that Kai Havertz was open to playing as the left-back and wanted to help the team in all ways possible. He added that the Arsenal star could be seeing a future as a full-back.