"I think he gives you so much" - Owen Hargreaves claims one Arsenal star gets 'far too much criticism' after their win over Zagreb

Pundit Owen Hargreaves believes Arsenal forward Kai Havertz gets a lot of unwarranted criticism. He said this after the German scored in the Gunners' 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Declan Rice opened the scoring in the second minute at the Emirates before Havertz made it 2-0 in the 66th minute. Martin Odegaard secured the three points for the hosts in the first minute of stoppage time. The goal marked Havertz's 14th of the season in 30 games across competitions along with four assists.

However, the German has faced a lot of criticism in recent weeks for a lack of a clinical edge. He missed some big chances in Arsenal's penalty shootout defeat against Manchester United in the FA Cup Third Round, including the penalty.

Owen Hargreaves, however, has come to the defense of Kai Havertz, as he said on TNT Sports (via Metro):

"Everybody goes on about Kai being a centre forward. I love him, I know he’s not a striker but he gives you so much. He has great awareness, he’s so patient. He’s got great awareness, he’s got great size, you can play off him as a 10, he can set people up.

"I think he gives you so much. I know he’s not Osimhen or Harry Kane but actually he shouldn’t be your main striker but he is a brilliant option. He can play on the right, he can play at 10 or play as a false nine and I think he does it brilliantly and I think he gets far too much criticism."

Havertz has missed 11 big chances in the Premier League, with only five players above him on the list (as per the league's website).

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Mikel Arteta opens up on Kai Havertz stat after Arsenal's win over Dinamo Zagreb

Arsenal signed Kai Havertz from London rivals Chelsea in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of £60 million plus add-ons. He started at the Emirates as a midfielder but soon moved into the striker role. He scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 51 games across competitions last season.

Havertz has already matched that goals tally this season, in 21 fewer games. When asked for his response to this stat after the Dinamo Zagreb win, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said (via Arsenal.com):

"What do you think about it? Brilliant. It shows the perspective against the reality sometimes, that’s what it shows you know, good stat."

Kai Havertz and Co. will next be in action on Saturday when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium in the Premier League.