"But Havertz has grown at the club and certainly won the fans over. He's scored some big goals and I think Arteta deserves a lot of praise for the way that he's developed him," so says former Arsenal star-man up front, Alan Smith in an exclusive conversation with Tribalfootball, while also offering a few words on Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, who had to carry the frontline against the Gunners.
"Sometimes he'll do something really good and then let himself down. I commentated on the game against Everton where he got a lovely goal and then let himself down with all those penalty shenanigans, grabbing the ball and what not. He's got to make sure his attitude's right."
Disappointing midfield
On the subject of attitude, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino thought his side "gave up", but could it potentially hurt a young side like the Blues to be on the receiving end of such big defeats?
"Well, it hurts, or it should hurt anyway, but if they've got anything about them, they'll keep their heads down and keep on playing. Enzo Fernandez is a World Cup winner, so he's got that kind of weight behind him and a bit of authority.
"But it's been deeply disappointing in the midfield with him and Caicedo. It's just not happening at the moment. Pochettino will think, 'I need to be getting more out of this pair'. But at the moment, he's not able to do," states Smith about a side that lost by at least a two-goal margin for the seventh time this season against Arsenal.
Arsenal themselves looked down for the count in the defeat against Bayern Munich, but Smith offers a comforting word in relation to the Champions League exit.
"Maybe what decided it was Bayern's experience in that competition. They knew what it took and Thomas Tuchel knew as well, obviously, as he's been there before. This is new ground for Arsenal and for Arteta as a manager. And it was still close.
"Conceding those two goals at the Emirates, which Arsenal haven't really done this season as they've been so tight and disciplined probably did Arsenal in. But it's another step on the learning curve. They've got that in the bank now, and they'll take that with them going forward into next season in that competition."
Watch out for Maddison
Speaking of going forward, Arsenal have another massive game coming up, this time against Tottenham away from home and Smith has an eye on a couple of Spurs players for them to be wary about.
"When Spurs are at it, there's obviously (Heung-min) Son who maybe hasn't enjoyed his best form this season, but he's one to watch. He's been doing it for many years. (James) Maddison as well, although he's struggled recently. I think fitness has been holding him back, but he's really important for Spurs."
As for Arsenal, clearly the performance against Chelsea has left Smith feeling optimistic.
"If they reach the levels they did against Chelsea, they don't need to worry too much about who they're up against. You'd expect Spurs to be a tougher proposition defensively, though, compared to Chelsea, as their shape was all over the place at times.
"I think Arsenal will have to be more defensive than they were against Chelsea, but Spurs press high and there will be gaps behind that Spurs defence. You just feel that Spurs have got to be at their best to compete with Arsenal on the day," Smith thinks of a game he expects to be "fascinating".
"Much depend of Ange's tactics, but he's stuck with pretty much the same all the way through. He takes the game to the opposition, and more often than not Spurs dominate possession but Arsenal do too and that should lead to a nice open game with spaces for Arsenal to exploit."
- Alan Smith was talking to Tribalfootball on behalf of Crypto Casino