Arteta hails Havertz revival as Gunners ease to Champions League victory against Kairat Almaty

Champions League preparation at the Emirates Stadium. Pic by @JTaylorSport

ARSENAL 3 KAIRAT ALMATY 2

There might be one or two ongoing question marks concerning Arsenal’s durability to remain top of the Premier League. However when it comes to Europe, the Gunners are enjoying a certain serenity which may yet yield the ultimate club trophy.

Arsenal’s three point ahead at the top of the Champions League – above illustrious names such as Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Barcelona and Inter Milan. Eight successive victories at this point is proper testimony to the work of boss Mikel Arteta, who has diligently built a large squad, who appear quite capable of surviving and thriving on different fronts. Now there is the possibility of facing Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta and Olympiakos as the challenges intensify.

While a 3-2 win against lowly Kairat Almaty was more a training exercise than the scoreline suggests, given the disparity between the teams, Arsenal were made to work across a lively first half with the Kazakhstan side levelling early on. A late second goal for the visitors was quite the surprise cameo too.

Viktor Gyokeres fired Arsenal into an early lead before Kairat levelled with a Jorginho penalty. Further efforts from the hosts’ hit men Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli made matters safe. The second half was all but forgettable.

Still, in what was Kairats’ only genuine foray – three minutes into stoppage time - Richardinho headed home at the far post from a Valeri Gromyko cross. The consolation sparked an explosion of joy from the 2,500 or so travelling fans.

Otherwise, this was a breeze for Arsenal. Their front trio of Noni Madueke, Gyokeres and Martinelli all linked up well, supplied by Ebere Eze and Havertz. The north Londoners’ attitude and especially the performance of Havertz pleased Arteta, who made 11 changes to the team recently stunned by Manchester United.

“I’m very proud of the players and the run we’ve had in the competition”, said the Arsenal manager. “It’s very hard to win eight games in a row in the Champions League.

“I am disappointed with the two goals we conceded and we should have scored more in the game, but I am satisfied.

'Positive'

“It was a really positive performance (by Havertz). He can play wide left or attacking midfield, depending on the players available. It is great he is now fit and available. Kai give us so much versatility, he’s a unique player. He understands the demands and copes well with pressure and he will be important for the second half of the season.

“This will give him a lot of confidence, joy and energy. The players will be pleased for him and he came back after such a long time injured is really important.”

Despite Arsenal’s tremendous feats in the competition to date – including handsome wins over Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Club Brugge -Arteta was still able to field a strong side against the Kazak champions who were already eliminated from the competition.

Perhaps the key question for Gunners fans ahead of the tie was how their team would respond psychologically from the chastening 3-2 home defeat to United a few days earlier. That was a performance which betrayed a certain degree of nervousness for a team trying to remain top of the Premier League, in the hope of ending a 22 year long quest for the title itself.

In terms of the Champions League, though, it is a different story. Those wins behind them, considering Europe’s elite tournament is still one which has eluded Arsenal, a large scale, experienced squad will be needed to battle both on the Euro and Premier League front. As domestic leaders and a tough weekend examination ahead at Leeds United, this particular rotation saw players such as Madueke, Christian Norgaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Cristian Mosquiera given an opportunity to start.

It has, meanwhile, been quite a season in European terms for Kairat. Just to reach this stage, Rafael Urazbakhtin’s outfit enjoyed the club’s finest hour by eliminating Celtic in the qualifiers – a result which sent shock waves across the continent. While the league stage has proved far beyond ‘the team of the nation’, sat at the foot of a 36 team grouping, they were at least hoping to redeem themselves in the capital.

Indeed, if the Emirates crowd expected a rudimentary evening, an event-filled first five minutes raised a few eyebrows.

A brisk start saw Arsenal take the lead with only a couple of minutes on the clock.

Boost

Gyokeres, sensing space, burst through the middle of the Kairat defence before confidently despatching a low right foot shot into the corner of the net. It was a strike which will represent a real boost to a high profile hit man who has not been without criticism this term, since arriving from Sporting Lisbon.

A satisfied Emirates crowd sat back expecting a few more quick goals against the bottom side – yet Kairat were allowed a route back in the 5^th minute from the penalty spot. From what seemed to be an innocuous ball forward, Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori clumsily held back the jersey of the foraging Jorginho. And Kairat’s Portuguese striker subsequently made no mistake from twelve yards.

The first half was surprisingly entertaining, considering the circumstances. No more so than a crisp moment of sheer class from Havertz to restore the lead for the north Londoners after 15 minutes.

Running down the right, the German sidestepped the desperate attentions of Egor Sorokin before lashing a left-footed shot beyond grasping Kairat keeper Temirian Anarbekov. A textbook, bolt of response by the fit-again Gunner.

In the 37^th minute, Arsenal added a third. Unsurprisingly, Kairat were having difficulties stemming the waves.

At the climax of a patient move, Martinelli tapped in Havertz’s low cross from a couple of yards out - the goal was awarded as the latter was judged to be just about onside.

Arteta, managing his player’s game time, replaced the impressive Havertz with Martin Odegaard at the interval with the hosts looking comfortable.

Nevertheless, the Gunners continued to assert themselves, and Martinelli was a constant outlet and menace down the left side. Kairat, in fact, were seldom able to leave their own half. As a result the second period - with Arsenal on cruise control - lacked the earlier urgency.

At least, considering the course of events, it gave Arteta the chance to provide further action for Gabriel Jesus, who came on for Gyokeres, while Brando Bailey-Joseph and Ife Ibrahim were offered their senior Gunners debuts late on. Jesus did have the ball in the net late on only for his run to have been a fraction offside.

That gloss may have been lacking in the end, with Kairat’s unforeseen consolation, but with a now fit Jesus, Martinelli, Havertz and Gyokeres all featuring, Arteta can luxuriate in the knowledge that sufficient firepower is there for the critical stages of the campaign, both at home and abroad.

“The players know what to do”, added the Gunners chief. “The competition (Champions League) stops for now and we have to concentrate on what is ahead.”

That test, against Leeds United, is going to be a huge test of Arsenal’s collective resolve.

Gunners: Kepa, Mosquiera, White, Eze, Martinelli (Bailey-Joseph 76), Gyokeres (Jesus 76), Norgaard (Ibrahim 87), Madueke, Havertz (Odegaard 46), Calafiori (Hincapie 46), Lewis-Skelly