Arsenal travel to Anfield on Sunday for a pivotal Premier League clash against Liverpool, but manager Mikel Arteta faces a growing headache in attack. The Gunners will be without Bukayo Saka (thigh), Noni Madueke (ankle), and Christos Tzolis (lack of match fitness), while youngster Max Dowman begins a three-match suspension. That leaves Kai Havertz as the most experienced forward available, yet the German international is enduring perhaps the strangest season of his Arsenal career.
Havertz's puzzling dip in form
Twelve games into the campaign, Havertz has managed no goals and one assist in his last six appearances since returning early from international duty with a muscle strain. Arteta insists the injury is not a factor: "There's nothing to do with that," the manager said. "It's true that in terms of the numbers, we have dropped those numbers but he certainly had the chances as well to play." Against Fleetwood in the EFL Cup, Havertz registered seven shots worth 0.72 expected goals (xG) but failed to score as Arsenal chased the game for 70 minutes.
Offside epidemic highlights sync issues
The most striking statistical anomaly is Havertz's offside count. After averaging less than one offside per 90 minutes in previous Premier League seasons, he has already been caught 10 times in just eight league games this term — the highest in the division. Joint-second are teammate Bukayo Saka and Leeds' Dominic Calvert-Lewin with seven each. Several of those offsides stem from mistimed runs, such as a premature move to collect a Martin Odegaard pass against Aston Villa that saw Havertz shoot wide from a promising position. Arteta acknowledged the disconnect: "That kind of form and that kind of efficiency with the front players, it's very common. Full trust on him and what he's doing."
Gyokeres not seen as Anfield answer
Summer signing Viktor Gyokeres started against Everton and scored versus Fleetwood, but his underlying numbers — 0.92 shots per 90, 16th in the squad — and lack of elite-level experience make him an unlikely choice for a game Arteta describes as being decided by "moments players." Havertz, by contrast, has a track record in big matches: he scored in two Champions League finals and was Arsenal's most threatening attacker for an hour in last season's final against Paris Saint-Germain. His 18 goals and nine assists across 37 league games last year, deployed as a centre-forward in a 3-1 win over Liverpool, remain the benchmark.
Match details: Liverpool vs Arsenal, Sunday, Nov. 1, 11:30 a.m. ET at Anfield. TV: USA; Live stream: fuboTV. Odds: Liverpool +188, Draw +230, Arsenal +138.
