One of the best things Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal is prove people wrong.
From ensuring people believe in his work, and it took years of rebuilding to showcase it, to trust his decision-making at the club.
It hasn’t been an easy ride for Arsenal fans, but as of this moment, they are seven league wins away from winning the Premier League title.
On Saturday, the Gunners brushed aside Brighton 3-0, with goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard.
It was a deserved victory by that margin and further proof of how dangerous this Arsenal team is looking during such a pressure period of the season.
One of the players thriving in Arteta’s system is Havertz and it seems as though he has proved a lot of people wrong.
One of them includes Tim Sherwood, who admitted that he questioned why Arsenal initially signed him from Chelsea in the summer, as he told Premier League Productions (08/04/24 at 2:45 pm).
The 24-year-old has nine goals and five assists as a centre-forward this term, as well as playing other roles, from a number eight to a number ten.
Even though Sherwood tried to question if Arteta ’stumbled over’ Havertz playing as a number nine, he couldn’t deny that he has been proven wrong about the player’s performances.
Kai Havertz as a number nine for Arsenal
“Has he stumbled over that?” Sherwood questioned about Arteta playing Havertz as a nine. “He only got an opportunity when Jesus come out of the team.
“I think Mikel sees it every day. We don’t. I have sat here many a time and asked ‘what is he?’. Is he an eight, is he a ten or is he someone who plays loose off the side. Certainly didn’t think he was a number 9. Good size. Fantastic movement. Talks about Jorginho. Tips his cap to him. Jorginho is playing because of him.
“You are one, Wrighty’s (Ian Wright) and I am certainly one of them. Who is this kid? Why have they bought him? Now we are seeing exactly why.”
Will Arsenal cross the finishing line?
It was around this time last season that Arsenal started to stumble and hand the title to Manchester City.
But, as of this moment, they aren’t showing those signs and everything is positively moving forward, including key players remaining injury-free.
Of course, matters will currently be towards the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.
But if Arsenal can see through these next few weeks, which also includes games against the likes of Aston Villa and Tottenham, then fans will seriously start to believe.