‘What was he trying to do?’: Baffled fans question why Kai Havertz shielded the ball out of play for a throw-in immediately after he controlled it during Germany’s defeat to Turkey
- Kai Havertz played at left back during Germany’s 3-2 win over Turkey
- He scored early in the match, but one moment left his left supporters stunned
- Chris Sutton is stunned by Ian Ladyman’s England Euro XI: It all starts
Kai Havertz had a mixed match as Germany lost 3-2 to Turkey in a friendly match on Saturday evening.
The Arsenal playmaker opened the scoring after just five minutes, after surprisingly being deployed as a left back for the match in Berlin.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann’s decision did not go down well in Germany, with legend Lothar Motthaus labeling it a ‘slap in the face’ for real defenders.
But there was one moment in the match that left the supporters confused ten minutes into the second half.
Havertz, receiving the ball on the left flank from Ilkay Gundogan, controlled the ball but then shielded it out of play as he felt pressure from a Turkish player behind him.
Kai Havertz has left fans confused with a moment from Germany’s loss to Turkey that has gone viral
Havertz received the ball and controlled it after a pass from Ilkay Gundogan
He then decided to shield the ball for a throw-in, despite having last touched the ball
Supporters have taken to social media to wonder what Havertz was trying to do
The referee awarded Turkey a throw-in and Turkey eventually won the match in what was Nagelsmann’s home debut after replacing Hansi Flick in September.
The moment went viral on social media, with one fan writing: ‘I’m still baffled by this. What was he trying to do?’
Another user offered their own theory about the explanation, as they noted, “He forgot he touched the ball last and shielded himself to win a throw-in.”
In response to the earlier tweet, someone replied: “But even if he forgot that, would he have forgotten that his teammate was the person who passed him the ball?”
One Arsenal fan suggested this wasn’t the first time this had happened, as they wrote: ‘He’s done this twice in an Arsenal shirt, I wanted to get on the tele.’
However, one person said it was down to Nagelsmann’s decision to play him out of position, which contributed, as they noted: ‘Unfamiliar environment for him. I can’t really blame him for playing there.’
Havertz has struggled to hit the ground running at Arsenal since his £65million move from Chelsea in the summer.
Havertz (right) opened the scoring for Germany in a game that ultimately lost 3-2
In 19 appearances in all competitions, he has scored just one goal and provided the same number of assists for the Gunners.
However, despite Germany’s loss on Saturday, Nagelsmann singled out Havertz for praise, believing he was ‘probably our best player’.
Nagelsmann said: ‘I don’t see this (playing as a left back) as a risk for him, but as a very, very big opportunity to play a key role at the European Championship. For the first time in an unknown position he did extremely well and was probably our best player.’
Despite playing in a new position, Julian Nagelsmann said Havertz was ‘probably our best player’
