Klopp quick to shut down Havertz criticism: "He's a top player"
Jürgen Klopp has defended Kai Havertz ahead of Germany’s top-of-the-table clash with the Netherlands, insisting the Arsenal striker’s quality goes beyond his recent international scoring record.
Havertz has scored once in his last five appearances for Germany, drawing criticism after some underwhelming displays as the starting striker. But Klopp made clear that the 27-year-old retains his confidence.
Reflecting on facing Havertz during his time as Liverpool coach, Klopp said: “I've played against Kai many times, and I can tell you that preparing for a game against him is no walk in the park. You get a real sense of just how complete a player he is.”
“You always have to be prepared for him to produce an outstanding performance because he has all the qualities to do so.”
Klopp also pointed to the trust Havertz enjoys at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta.
“He's a top player. Mikel Arteta is someone who, as a person and as a coach, is absolutely determined to win. And unless several negative scenarios all come together, Kai Havertz starts games for Arsenal.”
“The fact that he plays here is not simply because I don't want to leave him out, but because I want to win games.”
The Germany head coach felt Havertz was unfortunate to finish without a goal against Serbia last week, despite having opportunities to score.
“Take the game against Serbia, for example. Kai put in an outstanding performance. He could have scored two goals and, under certain circumstances, perhaps even should have.”
For Klopp, the focus is on what Havertz can offer Germany’s attack going forward.
“What interests me is his potential and what we can achieve together with him going forward, rather than dwelling on what has happened so far.”
“I've watched Kai Havertz – I wouldn't claim to have seen every single international match, but whenever Kai Havertz has been on my radar, I've considered him an absolute top player.”
“So I'm really looking forward to working with him. And if there's anything more we can get out of him, I'm pretty confident that we'll manage to do that together,” he concluded.
