Five years have passed since that balmy night in Porto, yet for Kai Havertz, the memory remains as sharp as a blade. He cannot help but smile when he...
Five years have passed since that balmy night in Porto, yet for Kai Havertz, the memory remains as sharp as a blade. He cannot help but smile when he thinks back to the 2021 Champions League final, a contest that saw his Chelsea side, against all odds, topple the behemoth that was Manchester City. The goal, the winner, the disbelief etched across his face as he wheeled away in celebration. It is, as he says, something he will never forget. But here is the rub for a footballer of his calibre: such moments can become both a blessing and a burden. They set a standard that everything else must be measured against.Havertz has been open about the psychological toll of this injury riddled season at Arsenal. He admits he has been in a bad place, a stark confession from a player who is usually so measured in his public pronouncements. The emotional whiplash of going from the zenith of club football to the grim solitude of the treatment room is a brutal one. Yet here he stands, on the cusp of another final, and this time the stakes feel different. There is no element of surprise this time, no underdog narrative to cling to. Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, have built a side that expects to be in these moments.What Havertz brings to this Arsenal side is that rarest of commodities: unteachable experience. His tactical flexibility has been a godsend for Arteta, allowing the manager to shift the point of attack without altering the broader shape. Whether leading the line as a false nine or dropping deep to knit play together from a withdrawn position, the German international offers a ruggedness that belies his slender frame. He is not just a finisher; he is a facilitator. He is comfortable in the low block, but he truly comes alive in transitional play, those lightning quick moments when the opposition's shape is most vulnerable.And yet, the question that lingers. Can he replicate that Porto moment on an even grander stage for his current club The Arsenal faithful are desperate for a European crown, and in Havertz they have a man who knows exactly what it takes to cross that final line. He spoke to GoalZaza about that feeling of winning, of the surreal nature of playing instead of merely watching. He wants to bottle that sensation and uncork it again. For Arsenal, that could be the difference between a good season and a glorious one.There is a quiet steel to Havertz now. He has been through the grinder this season, the injuries, the doubts, the whispers about his consistency. But he is still standing. And he is still smiling. That old adage in football about form being temporary and class being permanent has never felt more apt. On the biggest night of his club career, he proved his quality. Now, he has to prove it all over again. This time, in the red and white of Arsenal. Squeaky bum time indeed.
