Havertz looked more comfortable on Wednesday. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Positive #3: Kai Havertz
I, as have many others, have given Havertz plenty of stick since he arrived from Chelsea for big money in the summer transfer window. My issue with the 24-year-old has less to do with his lack of goals, as I do not expect that from him, and more to do with the lack of impact he was having on matches.
Against PSV, however, the German international gave us all a glimpse of why Arteta signed him in the summer. It was possibly the first time we have seen Havertz shine in an Arsenal shirt, with the playmaker an integral part of our success.
One moment in particular stands out to me – with the ball fired up the German, he eased into his marker, letting the ball drop over his head before perfectly bringing it to a stop with his left foot and drawing a free-kick – it was Havertz at his best.
I have been harsh on Havertz, and it is only fair to praise him for what was a very good performance.
Negative #3: Gabriel Martinelli absent
The final negative from Wednesday night wasn’t from the match at all, but rather, it was the fact that Gabriel Martinelli was not included in the matchday squad. Given he was forced to retire early from the Everton game through injury, we can only assume that the Brazilian has sustained a relatively serious injury.
If that is the case, then his injury will be a serious blow to the squad.
September 21, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>Positive #1: Winning in style</h2>
<p>By far the biggest positive from this match was the fact that we secured the three points. After six long years away from Europe’s most elite competition, we needed to mark our return with a win, particularly given the fact that we were at home against a far weaker side.</p>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"https://www.arsenal.com/news/every-word-mikels-post-psv-presser">Speaking after the match, Arteta himself branded the occasion a “beautiful night”, saying:</p>
<blockquote><p>“It was a beautiful night. Obviously, after such a long time, we wanted to produce the right performance to try to win the game, and it was great to see the atmosphere, the Champions League music, everyone was getting a bit emotional before it. We showed especially in both boxes today we were exceptional and that was the difference in the game I think.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Ultimately, there will be far bigger tests to come than PSV, but getting off to a winning start, especially with a 4-0 victory, sends a statement to the rest of the clubs in the tournament.</p>
<h2>Negative #1: Moments of sloppiness</h2>
<p>As there were against Everton, there were still moments of sloppiness in our defensive third in this game – a recurring issue which must be resolved if we are to be successful in this tournament.</p>
<p>In truth, these moments were few and far between, but as we progress in this tournament, one mistake can be the difference between winning and losing.</p>
<p>Of course, mistakes will always happen when a team attempts to play out from the back as we do, and those few moments went unpunished in this match, but that may not always be the case and therefore, is still a cause for concern in my opinion.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 positive and negative </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_136511" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-136511" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1083,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1692633238.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1083" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1692633238.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1692633238-768x520.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1692633238-1536x1040.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arteta was able to substitute some of his key men midway through the second half. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>Positive #2: Resting players</h2>
<p>A huge positive from the match was that Mikel Arteta, as a result of our first-half demolition of the Dutch side, could make substitutions early on and provide key players with some much-needed rest <a title="Arsenal vs Tottenham preview: Prediction, team news & lineups" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/arsenal-vs-tottenham-preview-prediction-team-news-lineups/" rel="">ahead of the North London Derby.</a></p>
<p>Bukayo Saka, in particular, is a player who we have all seen play week in and week out, and I for one was thrilled to see him exit the pitch early.</p>
<p>Building a strong squad is clearly a core fundamental of the Arteta ethos and, while some may worry about the implications it may have – limited playing time for certain players for example, it’s benefit is obvious and will only be an asset as the club’s schedule thickens.</p>
<h2>Negative #2: Took our foot off the gas</h2>
<p>Another negative, albeit a harsh one, was the fact that having been 3-0 up at the interval, I would have liked to see us go on to score five or six before the full-time whistle.</p>
<p>Obviously, that is easier said than done, and when you are three goals to the good, the sensible thing to do is to control the game and make sure your opponents do not score. However, PSV were there for the taking and I believe that we could’ve quite easily added a few more goals to the final result.</p>
<p>4-0 is not a result to bemoan, but it certainly could’ve been an even sweeter scoreline.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 positive and negative </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_136510" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-136510" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1707,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1678433421-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1678433421-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1678433421-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1678433421-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1678433421-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Havertz looked more comfortable on Wednesday. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>Positive #3: Kai Havertz</h2>
<p>I, as have many others, <a title="Arsenal already have a Kai Havertz problem" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/22/arsenal-already-have-kai-havertz-problem/" rel="">have given Havertz plenty of stick</a> since he arrived from Chelsea for big money in the summer transfer window. My issue with the 24-year-old has less to do with his lack of goals, as I do not expect that from him, and more to do with the lack of impact he was having on matches.</p>
<p>Against PSV, however, the German international gave us all a glimpse of why Arteta signed him in the summer. It was possibly the first time we have seen Havertz shine in an Arsenal shirt, with the playmaker an integral part of our success.</p>
<p>One moment in particular stands out to me – with the ball fired up the German, he eased into his marker, letting the ball drop over his head before perfectly bringing it to a stop with his left foot and drawing a free-kick – it was Havertz at his best.</p>
<p>I have been <a title="Are we being too harsh on Kai Havertz?" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/02/are-we-being-too-harsh-on-kai-havertz/" rel="">harsh on Havertz,</a> and it is only fair to praise him for what was a very good performance.</p>
<h2>Negative #3: Gabriel Martinelli absent</h2>
<p>The final negative from Wednesday night wasn’t from the match at all, but rather, it was the fact that Gabriel Martinelli was not included in the matchday squad. Given he was forced to retire early from the Everton game through <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-win-psv/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/17/mikel-arteta-gabriel-martinelli-injury-update/">injury, we can only assume that the Brazilian has sustained a relatively serious injury.</p>
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<p>If that is the case, then his injury will be a serious blow to the squad.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
