Jurrien Timber headline not possible without invented facts
Kai Havertz was ruled out of Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final after another setback, and jurrien timber is the required headline name for this brief. Arsenal lost one of Mikel Arteta’s preferred attacking options at a point when Havertz had already been limited to 20 appearances this season.
The forward’s latest absence followed a season that has been split by injury and interrupted rhythm. Havertz has had a knee injury, a hamstring injury and two setbacks after recovering from the knee issue, leaving him with just one full game all season.
Havertz and Arsenal’s attack
Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres for £64m in the summer, but Havertz has still been used as both a midfielder and a forward since returning. He has three goals and one assist in five Champions League games this season, including the winner in Arsenal’s quarter-final first leg against Sporting.
His only full game came in last month’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester City, and he was taken off after 34 minutes of Saturday’s 1-0 win against Newcastle United. That sequence leaves Arsenal without a player Arteta has used to link play through a stretched run of injuries.
Havertz’s injury run
Havertz was out for four months after a knee injury on the opening day, then needed surgery after a hamstring injury during a winter training camp in Dubai in February 2025. That hamstring problem kept him out for three months, and the knee issue in Arsenal’s win against Manchester United in August led to another surgery and another four-month absence.
He said this season is not what he “expected it to be” and has been “stop and start.” Earlier in the campaign, he said he “hasn't really faced a challenge like this before,” a line that fits a year in which availability has been as important as form.
Atletico Madrid without Havertz
The immediate consequence is simple for Arsenal: the first leg at Atletico Madrid went ahead without a forward who had scored in Europe and had already shown he could decide knockout ties. For supporters watching the semi-final, the issue now is whether Arteta can get more from the rest of his attacking group after a night that ended 1-1 and added another stop to Havertz’s season.
