At Arsenal, the expectations are much higher this season, both for the squad as a whole, and for forward Kai Havertz. The German attacking player, acquired from Chelsea this summer, is the Gunners’ highest paid player (yes, even more than Declan Rice). However, he might be a misfit here. What is his best and most natural position? Is he a 9? Or an attacking midfielder?
What about a pure striker? Should he centrally lead the line, or sit back behind Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah?
Arsenal vs Manchester United FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 3 4:30 pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Starting XI Predictions: Man United Arsenal
Team News: Man United Arsenal
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position, Form: Arsenal 5th, 7 pts, DWW Man United 8th, 6 pts, WLW
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 54% Draw 24% Man United 22%
The bottom line of it all is this- Kai Havertz has not been able to reproduce in the Premier League the same kind of prolific scoring numbers that we saw from him with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Now we take a look at how he might fit in the starting lineup on Sunday.
(As well as the rest of the team, of course)
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction vs Manchester United
Aaron Ramsdale; Thomas Partey, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchrenko; Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard; Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli; Eddie Nketiah
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.