Arsenal returned to winning ways on Wednesday night, as Mikel Arteta watched his side defeat Sevilla 2-0 at the Emirates on match day four of the Champions League group stages.

It was a much-needed win for the Gunners, after a testing week in both the Premier League and Carabao Cup, where the north Londoners suffered consecutive defeats to West Ham United and Newcastle United.

Despite Arsenal’s Premier League unbeaten record being wiped out as late as match day 11, it’s been a difficult start to the campaign for Arteta’s squad, who have faced a host of injury woes to tarnish the depth available in the squad.

With Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Emile Smith-Rowe and Jurrien Timber all unavailable during last night’s affair, the manager was faced with a headache for selection, with two academy hopefuls being summoned to complete the depleted squad list.

On top of the injury woes, Arteta has had to combat lack of performance from some members of the team, with Kai Havertz’s £65m summer arrival prevailing to be an underwhelming capture.

Kai Havertz’s stats since joining Arsenal

Signed from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, Arteta opted to welcome Havertz to the squad in a surprising move following his below-par spell in west London.

The German was deployed as a centre-forward with the Blues, to which his highest scoring tally in the Premier League was only eight goals, telling of his lack of conviction following his relocation from his homeland.

After three years, the 24-year-old left Stamford Bridge having scored 15 goals in 139 appearances, a disappointing record following his form at Bayer Leverkusen prior, in which he netted 46 goals in 150, despite playing in a deeper role.

Arteta saw the talent within the World Cup winner and the form he could squeeze out of the £280k-per-week gem if he rotated his positioning, although the heights to his quality are yet to be seen in north London.

11

1

1

9%

0

0.7

In 18 appearances this season, Havertz has scored one goal and provided one assist in all competitions, with his single goal coming as he was nominated by his teammates to take a penalty in the league against Bournemouth.

Following the game last night, the Germany international was praised for his growth in confidence by journalist Kaya Kaynak, however after making the £65m trip across London, there are warning signs there that praising confidence after three months isn’t quite enough to warrant his price tag and place in the squad.

Arsenal’s lack of options in midfield

The issue that Arteta faces in the current period, is that the alternative options to encourage Havertz’s progression through competition are running low.

The 6 foot 4 talent hasn’t shown any signs of being a clinical and reliable forward as highlighted by his conversion rate, nor has he shown his creative ability in midfield, portrayed by his lack of chances created.

With Odegaard, Partey and Smith-Rowe currently out of action, the manager’s options are wearing extremely thin in midfield, leaving him with little option but to field Havertz, despite his lack of growth in his fourth season in the Premier League.

After losing Granit Xhaka in the summer, Arsenal decimated their record transfer fee to welcome Declan Rice, who has fitted in sublimely to his surroundings at the Emirates.

The Englishman brings a lot to the Gunners, however the issue remains that he arrived as a replacement for the Swiss international, with no further reinforcements welcomed to pad out the options in the critical area, leaving Arteta still short of personnel.

Luckily for the north Londoners, the January transfer window is fast approaching, giving the opportunity to add to the squad in the winter although the manager could have a solution for his bleak midfield outlook within his squad already.

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s stats at Arsenal

Following his arrival from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, Oleksandr Zinchenko was a vital cog in Arsenal’s machine to fire them into the title race last term.

The Ukraine international arrived in the capital with four Premier League titles to his name, and experience in playing within one of the best squads in Europe under the watchful eye of Pep Guardiola.

In playing at left-back, Arteta has discovered the benefits of having a defender who can master the inverted role, opening new doors to the Gunners’ style of play thanks to the expertise of the 26-year-old.

Unfortunately, the novelty has begun to wear off as Zinchenko’s defensive frailties have become more prominent than his ability to grasp games progressively, with his position in the squad threatened by the boss’ favour of Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Blogger and podcaster James Stokes commented how it would be “easier to teach Tomiyasu to invert” than to “teach Zinchenko how to defend”, telling of the Ukraine international’s weak side at the back.

Defending aside, Arsenal have one of the most “technically gifted” players in the league, as praised by podcaster Adam Keys, giving Arteta a decision to make dependent on what he desires from his left-back on the day.

The stats that suggest Oleksandr Zinchenko could play in midfield

The problem with Zinchenko at left-back is that the manager will almost certainly always select the stronger defender to the more prestigious talent, leaving the 26-year-old with little claim to the starting spot over Tomiyasu.

There is a shining light for the Ukrainian, who by having experience in playing the inverted role, is accustomed to playing in the middle of the park as a free-roamer between the channels within Arteta’s squad.

Kai Havertz

Oleksandr Zinchenko

3.12

9.65

81.3%

86.4%

2.07

2.85

0.60

0.64

1.33

0.81

1.72

8.54

This could present the manager with the choice to make a bold switch in position for the former City whiz, with his technical excellence potentially having the strength to open a new door in midfield rather than at the back – having regularly played that role for his country.

As highlighted in the table above, Zinchenko’s quality on the ball was far greater than Havertz’s last season in the Premier League, giving food for thought as to whether the £150k-per-week ace could be an option to deploy in the engine room.

The 57-capped Ukraine international could have his time in the favoured lineup revived in a surprise new role, in a move that could expel Havertz from the squad to induce healthy competition to promote a higher level of performance.