“So powerful but as well so intelligent” - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praises 25-year-old star after UEFA Champions League display against PSG

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Kai Havertz after the Gunners beat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night (October 1). The German forward broke the deadlock with a smart run to the far post and a well-timed header past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 20th minute at the Emirates.

Arsenal scored their second from a smartly taken set-piece, which saw Bukayo Saka's free-kick go in untouched due to a few clever runs from the Gunners' players in the 35th minute.

Adter the game, Arteta praised Havertz's goal, saying (via Tribal Football):

"So powerful but as well so intelligent. The way he occupies the spaces, the way he connects everything together, his work ethic and now he’s around the box and you have the feeling that he’s going to score a goal."

'The goal was superb, I think overall the performance was as good as from him, so really pleased with that," he added.

Arteta also explained the decision to substitute Jurrien Timber in the first half, adding:

“He was unbelievable in the first half but he felt something muscular and he was uncertain and I didn’t want to take any risks. He’s been out for a year, he’s played a lot of minutes, probably more minutes than we wanted in the last few weeks and we have to manage him.”

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta says it is too early to look at the Champions League table

With the Champions League now debuting its new format, teams have to change their tactical approach to ensure qualification to the knockout rounds.

The Gunners have made an unbeaten start to the Champions League, drawing 0-0 against Atalanta (away) before beating PSG at home. They have four points from two games and are eighth in the standings.

However, Arteta believes it's too early to configure the position relevancy. He said (via Arsenal's official website):

"It’s too early. I think as well everyone has to play a lot of different and difficult games home and away, we have to adapt to that. We still don’t know how many points we need, the only thing you can focus on is the performance and try to win our own games, we did it tonight. Carry on doing it and now focus on the Premier League."

Arsenal will next play Southampton at home in the Premier League on Saturday, October 5.