Mikel Arteta believes Kai Havertz still has a further level to reach after enjoying an excellent start to the season with Arsenal, who go to Bournemouth when the Premier League resumes on Saturday.
Arsenal emerge from the second international break of 2024-25 one point adrift of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table with 17 points from seven matches.
With four goals and an assist, Havertz has been a key factor in their positive start, excelling in his new false nine role and scoring a crucial equaliser as they fought back to beat Southampton 3-1 before the hiatus.
Asked if Havertz was now playing with greater confidence, Arteta said: "You can tell. He takes the ball and he runs with the ball.
"He's on the high press, he goes full gas, the way he holds the ball, the positions he takes in the box. When he plays as a nine, you don't know where he is, that's his football brain.
"His focus now is, 'I'm going to win the game, I'm going to do it', and that's a different thing.
"He wants more and he's not satisfied with what he's doing because there is still, I think, another level from him."
Opponents Bournemouth are 14th with eight points, having suffered a demoralising 1-0 defeat to previously winless Leicester City two weeks ago.
After that game, boss Andoni Iraola told BBC Sport: "It's difficult to explain, you need to score. We had a disallowed goal, hit the post, the crossbar, we had enough chances to win.
"We have to give merit to their offensive side but on the other side we are missing very clear chances. There are chances that you cannot miss altogether.
"We have to be more clinical and it is hurting us. All the games apart from Liverpool we have created more chances, but we are not getting the points."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo
Bournemouth have had more shot-ending high turnovers than any other side in the Premier League this season (18), while only three sides have faced fewer such shots than the Cherries (six).
Semenyo, who leads all Bournemouth players for goal involvements (four – three goals, one assist) and successful dribbles (12) this term could have a key role to play on the counter.
Arsenal – Kai Havertz
Havertz has been involved in 20 goals in his last 21 Premier League appearances (13 goals, seven assists).
His first goal for Arsenal came in this exact fixture last season, as he converted a penalty in a 4-0 victory for the Gunners. Could he be in for more joy on the south coast?
MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN
Arsenal are unbeaten in all 10 of their games in all competitions so far this season (seven wins, three draws) – they last had a longer unbeaten run from the start of a campaign in 2007-08 (first 21).
They are chasing a landmark victory, as their 3-1 win over Southampton last time out was their 1,999th top-flight triumph. Victory here would see them become the second English side to reach 2,000, after Liverpool (2,065).
Bournemouth, meanwhile, have lost 11 of their 14 Premier League games against Arsenal, though all three exceptions have been at home (3-3 in January 2017, 2-1 in January 2018, 1-1 in December 2019).
But a repeat should not be expected here. Each of Bournemouth's last 10 Premier League wins have been against sides in the bottom half of the table.
Andoni Iraola's men are winless in their last 11 matches against sides in the top half since beating Manchester United 3-0 in December last year (four draws, seven losses).
Arsenal boast a tremendous record against the Cherries lately, too. Since Bournemouth returned to the Premier League in 2022, the Gunners have won all four of their meetings with the Cherries by an aggregate score 13-2, netting three or more goals each time.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Bournemouth – 16.1%
Arsenal – 65.2%
Draw – 18.7%
The sky is the limit for soaring Seagulls, insists Hurzeler
Fabian Hurzeler failed to put a ceiling on Brighton’s potential after watching his side roar back from two goals down to beat Tottenham 2-0 ahead of the international break.
The 31-year-old, appointed at the start of the season, was facing criticism after the Seagulls had gone four Premier League games without a victory, though he silenced those doubters, with Brighton now sixth in the standings ahead of facing Newcastle at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
And despite only being in the infancy of his tenure on the south coast, Hurzeler is confident his side can continue to build on their impressive start to the campaign.
“I don't judge the performances by the results because in the end I'm completely convinced that if you focus on the process the results will come,” Hurzeler said.
“It’s normal to have ups and downs, and we had a small down against Chelsea. But we learnt from it and if you improve individually and as a group will always get better.
“The league is so competitive, you must work hard for momentum and use it when you have it. But, of course, I have a lot of trust in the potential of my team.”
For Newcastle, a goalless draw at Everton last time out made it four Premier League games without a win, but the Magpies sit level on points with this weekend’s opponents, separated only by goal difference in the standings.
After starting the campaign with three wins from their first four games, Eddie Howe acknowledged his side’s drop-off, but knows his side have room for improvement, which he hopes will start on home soil against Brighton.
“So far, we have seen that the group is together. We have seen that the group is motivated to do well, and we know we can play better, and we know we can do more so that is the challenge that I have to set to the players,” Howe said.
Howe was also hopeful that both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson would be available for the visit of the Seagulls, with an attacking edge needed having scored just three goals in their last four matches in all competitions.
"We hope so. They are two huge players for us. When you take any focal point out of a team it has an impact. Would it have made the difference today,” Howe said. “I'm not sure but we are looking forward to having them back."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle – Anthony Gordon
Gordon has enjoyed games against Brighton in recent years, scoring two goals in four appearances against them, only finding the net more against Manchester United (three) in the Premier League.
The England international has created more chances (15) for the Magpies than any other player, while he also has the joint-most completed dribbles (11) in Howe’s ranks, alongside Bruno Guimaraes.
Brighton – Kaoru Mitoma
Mitoma has carried the ball further than any other winger in the Premier League this season (1568 metres), though his assist against Tottenham last time out was his first goal contribution in four matches.
Meanwhile, only Cole Palmer and Jarrod Bowen (eight each) have created more chances following a ball carry than Mitoma (seven).
MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN
Brighton have lost just two of their 14 Premier League meetings with Newcastle (W5 D7), though both defeats have come across their last three visits to St James’ Park.
However, the Seagulls have impressed in front of goal this year. They have scored two or more goals in each of their last three Premier League games, last having a longer such run in January 2023 (five). Indeed, they’ve netted multiple goals in five of their seven league games so far this season, having failed to do so in any of their final 13 games in 2023-24.
No team has conceded fewer second half goals than Brighton in the Premier League this season (two), with their latest goal against them coming in the 70th minute (vs Nottingham Forest). However, opponents Newcastle have also shipped a joint-low two goals after half-time.
Although this weekend’s hosts have lost just one of their last eight Premier League games (W4 D3), Newcastle are winless in their last three (D2 L1). However, at home, the Magpies are unbeaten in their last 11 (W6 D5).
They are also unbeaten in their last three Premier League games against Brighton at St. James’ Park (W2 D1), having failed to win any of their first four against them without scoring a single goal (D2 L2).
However, only Nottingham Forest (four) have had fewer shots than Newcastle following a high turnover in the Premier League this season (five), while the Magpies have also faced the most such efforts in the competition this term (18).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Newcastle – 50.4%
Draw – 24.3%
Brighton – 23.3%
'I want to put second star on shirt' - new England boss Tuchel targeting World Cup glory
Thomas Tuchel wants "to put the second star on this shirt", as the new England head coach set his sights on World Cup glory in 2026.
The 51-year-old was announced as Gareth Southgate's successor on Wednesday, agreeing an 18-month contract that will begin on January 1.
Former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Tuchel is the first German to manage the Three Lions, and only the third non-English coach in history after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
Southgate came within whiskers of ending England's wait for major international silverware, suffering successive European Championship final defeats against Italy and Spain.
Tuchel, who has also managed Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, is excited to be working with such a talented group of players, and hopes he can help get the group over the winning line.
"I want to put the second star [for a World Cup win] on this shirt," he told reporters during his press conference at Wembley. "We will work hard for the biggest target in football, making our dream come true at the World Cup [in] 2026.
"I understood very quickly that it is a big job. I always think the job you are in is the biggest job, and it makes no sense to compare, but it feels big and feels like a privilege.
"I think it is pretty obvious I am very emotional. I love what I am doing and am passionate about football. This role just brought the young me alive and brought back my teenage days, to get excited for such a big task.
"Once I made a time frame up in my mind from January [2025] to the World Cup, I already felt excited.
"It suited my passion to push this group of players, and to be part of this federation with such a strong record in the last tournaments - to push it over the line and to try to put a second star on the shirt."
Lee Carsley will continue in his role as England's interim head coach for the remainder of the ongoing Nations League campaign, before Tuchel takes over the reins.
The German also addressed critics believing an Englishman should oversee the national team, believing his previous stint at Chelsea between January 2021 and September 2022 - during which he won the Champions League and Club World Cup - stands him in good stead.
"All of those supporters maybe felt my passion for the English Premier League and the country, and how I love to live and work here," he added.
"Hopefully, I can convince them and show them and prove to them that I am proud to be an English manager, and do everything to show respect to this role and this country and the target for the next 18 months.
"Everyone can be assured we will do it with passion and emotion. We will try to install values and principles and rules as quickly as possible to make the dream come true."
Twenty years of Messi: The Barcelona great's career celebrated
Precisely 20 years ago, the player many consider to be the greatest of all time made his senior debut.
At the age of 17, Lionel Messi made his first appearance in LaLiga on October 16, 2004, replacing goalscorer Deco from the bench in Barcelona's 1-0 win at Espanyol. He was, at the time, the club's youngest player to feature in an official game.
The rest, as they say, is history – 846 goals, eight Ballons d'Or and 43 senior team honours later, Messi has certainly cemented his place among the all-time greats.
On the 20th anniversary of his first professional outing, we celebrate the Argentine maestro by delving into the best facts and figures of his glittering career.
From prodigy to club legend
Messi's crowning achievement may have come on the international stage, but it was at Barcelona where he became a great, after joining their famed academy aged 13.
By the time of his 2021 departure, Messi had cemented himself as Barca's all-time leader for appearances (766) and starts (687) in all competitions, scoring an incredible 664 goals for the Blaugrana – comfortably ahead of Cesar Rodriguez's 232, previously recognised as the club record.
Messi averaged a goal every 94 minutes during his 17-year stint in the club's senior team, while his 260 assists were some 123 more than Xavi (137), who boasts the second-best figure since Opta records began.
All in all, Messi directly contributed to a staggering 924 goals while at Barca. The next-best figure by a single player in that time belongs to Luis Suarez, who managed 295 (198 goals, 97 assists).
The Argentine lifted 35 trophies – including LaLiga 10 times and the Champions League on four occasions – during his time at Camp Nou, also a record tally for any Barca player.
No love in Paris
When financial troubles left Barca unable to renew Messi's contract ahead of the 2021-22 season, he bid a tearful farewell to his adopted home and joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi did contribute to two Ligue 1 title wins in as many seasons with the club, yet his time in Paris was not altogether happy, with early Champions League exits at the hands of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich giving way to fan protests.
Messi did win his seventh Ballon d'Or during his debut campaign in France, though, partly as a result of Argentina's 2021 Copa America triumph.
His 26 league appearances in 2021-22 were his fewest in any league campaign since 2006-07, when he was still a teenager, and he was limited to just six goals and nine assists in the French top flight.
Sixteen goals and as many assists followed in 2022-23, and through his two years in Ligue 1, only Kylian Mbappe (79) and Wissam Ben Yedder (55) bettered his overall tally of 55 goal involvements in the competition.
To the Sunshine State
A fractious relationship with PSG's fans and a lack of continental success made Messi's stay in France unhappy, and in 2023 he went Stateside, joining David Beckham-owned MLS franchise Inter Miami.
Success was immediate as Messi fired the Herons to Leagues Cup glory in August 2023. By the end of that particular campaign, Messi's 10 goals in seven matches put him third in Inter Miami's all-time goalscoring charts without even appearing in a league game.
The 2024 Supporters' Shield followed last month, and Messi is the hot favourite to be named MLS MVP after a brilliant individual campaign, the highlights of which include a 10-match run with a goal involvement to start the season and five assists in May's 6-2 rout of the New York Red Bulls, a game in which he also scored.
No player had previously had six goal involvements in an MLS game, or teed up five goals for team-mates in a single match, nor had Messi previously achieved either feat for club and country.
Only Luciano Acosta (30), Evander (29), Cucho Hernandez, Denis Bouanga and Christian Benteke (all 28) have bettered his 27 direct goal involvements in regular-season play this year. The most impressive part? Messi has only started 15 games.
International glory
It now seems unthinkable to imagine Messi being maligned by Argentina fans, but that was the case for the majority of his career as he struggled to live up to Diego Maradona's achievements in the Albiceleste shirt.
However, back-to-back Copa America successes in 2021 and 2024, coming either side of a remarkable run to World Cup glory in 2022, have altered that perception for good.
Messi was named Player of the Tournament and scooped the Golden Boot as Argentina ended their 18-year wait for silverware at the 2021 Copa, but it was Qatar 2022 that saw him really cement his legacy.
Only Poland – in Argentina's third group game – prevented Messi from scoring as he ended the tournament with seven goals and three assists, including two strikes and a successful spot-kick in the shoot-out win over France in the final.
Only Gerd Muller (10 goals, three assists in 1970), Just Fontaine (13 goals in 1958) and Sandor Kocsis (11 goals in 1954) have ever bettered that figure at a single World Cup.
His 21 overall goal contributions at the World Cup are the most in tournament history, while he is the only player to win the Golden Ball award at two separate editions – doing so in 2014 and 2022.
This year's Copa America gave Messi a chance to further underline his international legacy, and though he was withdrawn due to injury in the final, Argentina got the job done against Colombia.
Messi opted against calling it quits there, though, and Tuesday's hat-trick against Bolivia saw him equal Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most trebles in international football, with 10.
His tally of 112 Argentina goals puts him some way adrift of Ronaldo's tally of 133 for Portugal, though his recent run of international trophies more than makes up for it.
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