Havertz explains what winning mentality really means at Arsenal
Kai Havertz has offered a glimpse into the mentality that he believes carried Arsenal to the title last season, explaining that the ability to grind through difficult spells and still find a way to win is what separates genuine contenders from the rest.
Havertz has become one of Mikel Arteta's most trusted figures, often doing the unglamorous work that does not always show up on a stat sheet. His influence in Arsenal's attacking play has kept him central to the manager's plans even in matches where he is not directly involved in goals.
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Havertz on overcoming hard periods
Speaking to Arsenal Media, Havertz was asked to define what a winning mentality looks like in practice. His answer focused on resilience during stretches of the season when things are not going smoothly.
“I think it's the ability to be able get over hard periods whenever you have them, and still come through them by winning games. You can't do that without the right mentality. To be able to win big moments, score at the big moments. That's what we showed last year in particular, a lot of times, and it's how we won the league in the end,” Havertz said.
The comments point directly to last season, when Arsenal repeatedly found a way to grind out results during tougher stretches of the campaign. Havertz appears to credit that mental toughness, rather than just quality on the ball, as the deciding factor in the title race.
A squad built on collective attitude
Arsenal have spent recent seasons trying to instil a consistent winning culture throughout the squad, with Arteta regularly stressing the importance of competitive standards in training and matches alike. Havertz's remarks suggest that message has been absorbed by the group rather than just preached from the touchline.
For a player who arrived at Arsenal with plenty of scrutiny over his best position, Havertz has increasingly positioned himself as one of the dressing room's senior voices on matters of mentality and standards. His willingness to speak publicly about what winning takes reflects the growing responsibility he has taken on within the squad.
With Arsenal once again competing on multiple fronts this season, the sort of resilience Havertz describes is likely to be tested again before the campaign is finished. How the squad responds during its next difficult stretch will go some way to showing whether that mentality has carried over from last season's title winning run.
