Almost every Arsenal player at Euro 2024 has impressed.
The European Championships in Germany has been a good watch so far, with a number of teams performing brilliantly.
Nine players from Arsenal are representing their countries at the Euros, and Gary Lineker seems to have been blown away by one of them.
The pundit has now urged England boss Gareth Southgate to make Harry Kane copy what the Arsenal man has been doing for his country.
Gary Lineker says he has seen a change in Arsenal star Kai Havertz’s role at Euro 2024
Arsenal star Kai Havertz has played two games at the Euros so far.
The German was fantastic for Germany against Scotland. He scored a goal and provided an assist in what was a really impressive display.
Arsenal fans absolutely loved Havertz’s performance in that game against the Scots.
Then, the 25-year-old started against Hungary on Wednesday, and he had a quiet evening. Havertz didn’t get as much love from the German media as he did following the first game.
However, Lineker, who knows a thing or two about being a top-class striker, noticed a change in Havertz’s game under Julian Nagelsmann in the German national team.
The pundit believes the confusion about Havertz’s position – whether he is a midfielder, false nine or an out-and-out striker – is finally over.
Lineker thinks Havertz has transformed into a number nine now, and he has urged Kane to copy him when he plays for England in the remainder of Euro 2024.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, Lineker said: “The thing I have been impressed with, and I know he’s not scored much lately, I don’t think he is ever going to be prolific. But Havertz, I think he has turned himself from a false nine into a nine.
“Nagelsmann has played him and told him to play high. I think that’s what we need to do with Harry Kane.
“But I think Havertz is impressive as a nine, he will run in behind, which is really important. He can also hold it up, he has a really good touch, and I think we have found his position.
“For years we have been saying we are not sure what he is, is he a 10 or an eight? I think he’s a nine.”
Mikel Arteta could now make an exciting change to his Arsenal system
Havertz’s performance for Germany will have given Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta new ideas.
Nagelsmann doesn’t play with natural wingers – he deploys Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz as inverted forwards either side of Havertz.
That allows the Arsenal number 29 to stay high up the pitch without having to drop into midfield and link play up as much as he does at the Emirates.
In the 2023/24 season, to make the Gunners more unpredictable, Arteta could use Havertz as an out-and-out striker to stretch the opposition defence throughout the game.
That would allow Arsenal’s wingers more space to cut inside and occupy central areas in the final third, which would make them even more dangerous.