Arsenal built belief through major wins, including a 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich, a 4-1 win over Aston Villa, and dominant performances in both north London derbies. Kai Havertz identifies the Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City as the key catalyst, saying the team felt there was more to achieve and needed to lift spirits after the defeat. Following the loss, an international break led to a determination to return stronger, and results improved. Havertz also faced personal setbacks, recovering from a hamstring injury, then suffering a knee injury and undergoing minor surgery. He described recovery as isolating and difficult until his first return to the pitch, when he could feel progress again.
"“I think a big one was the Carabao Cup final when we lost against City,” Havertz says. “It was a moment where we felt like we could do so much better and there was so much more in this team, and everyone needed to lift their spirits. There was the international break after and we just said to ourselves that we need to come back stronger.”"
"“From that moment, things changed a bit and we were more successful. I think, for me, that was a big moment. You are always frustrated when you lose finals, so to come back from it and win the league was great.”"
"He recovered from a hamstring injury in pre-season to make the first game of the campaign, against Manchester United at Old Trafford in August, but sustained a knee injury a few days later. He underwent a “successful minor surgical procedure” before what was meant to be a brief lay-off, yet he didn't return until January."
"“I was in a bad place when I was injured,” he says. “It's not nice, especially because it came after a big injury ... I had two surgeries and was in a brace for weeks. You are just inside a building. You cannot go out. You cannot walk, you do nothing. For me, things shifted when I went out on the pitch for the first time.”"
Read at Irish Independent
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