- German fans want Kai Havertz to be suspended for Die Mannschaft’s next match
- His first-choice replacement scored two goals from the bench at the 2024 European Championship
- Listen to It all starts! on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. New episodes appear every day during the European Championship.
German football fans have overwhelmingly called for Kai Havertz to be removed from the starting line-up.
A poll of almost 140,000 fans showed that 90 percent wanted the Arsenal star dropped for Borussia Dortmund battering ram Niclas Fullkrug.
Havertz scored a penalty in Germany’s 5–1 defeat to Scotland, but has drawn twice since.
He managed just one shot on target during the 1–1 draw against Switzerland, despite making six attempts in total, with BILD newspaper giving him a match score of five… with six being the worst possible rating .
Now, ImageThe poll of 138,000 supporters shows widespread calls for Havertz to lose his place to Fullkrug, who scored the equalizer against the Swiss in stoppage time.
Ninety percent of German fans have called for Kai Havertz to be dropped in a major poll
The majority of the nearly 140,000 supporters want Havertz to be dropped from the start.
There are calls for Niclas Fullkrug, who has scored two goals from the bench, to take Havertz’s place
Fullkrug also scored in the opening match against Scotland and is a more traditional number nine than Havertz.
Although Havertz performed well as a false nine for Arsenal last season, he spent the vast majority of his career in midfield.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann told Bild: ‘Fulle has a chance to start, but Kai has the same chances.
‘Kai had three good chances, and he was disappointed that he didn’t take advantage of two of them. He headed the ball onto his own shoulder. He still played a good game.
About Fullkrug he said: ‘He gives arguments for both things. In order to continue to act as a substitute because he is doing really well, he scores his second substitute. Or to play from the beginning. It is both a joy and a sadness for him that he plays the role well.’
According to Bild, Fullkrug was close to the start of the match against Switzerland.
Germany will play the round of 16 match in Dortmund on Saturday and will play against the second place from the English group.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann has hinted that Havertz or Fullkrug could start in the last 16
If England make a mistake against Slovenia tonight, they could face the Germans in the last 16.
England will finish second if they lose to Slovenia and Denmark fail to win, or if they draw against Slovenia and Denmark beat Serbia by two or more goals.