Arsenal fans should "jump behind" the "hugely influential" Kai Havertz in Wednesday's Premier League North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur after his nightmare week, Gunners expert Charles Watts believes.
The Germany international and his wife have experienced a torrent of online abuse since Sunday's FA Cup loss to Manchester United, where he missed the decisive penalty in the shootout after spurning a couple of glorious opportunities in normal time.
Havertz's FA Cup horror show came after he was also guilty of squandering a golden chance in the 2-0 EFL Cup semi-final first-leg loss to Newcastle United, where he had a free header a few yards out but failed to make a clean connection with the ball.
The 25-year-old's wife subsequently shared despicable social media threats she had received towards the couple's unborn child, sparking an impassioned defence of Havertz from Mikel Arteta in Tuesday's pre-game press conference.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Watts hailed Arteta's speech and urged Havertz to "get his head together" ahead of the derby, saying: "Havertz had a really difficult week with the horrendous abuse he and his family have suffered since the Manchester United game. Mikel Arteta, I thought, spoke really strongly and importantly on that subject at his press conference, he was absolutely bang on.
Watts: 'Havertz has to get his head together'
"But you can't take him out of the firing line because he needs him right now. He's going to have to try and get his head together as best as he possibly can, go out there and perform. What a way to silence your critics by going out there and scoring potentially a winning goal in a north London derby."
Havertz is now the only fit senior centre-forward in Arsenal's ranks following Gabriel Jesus's season-ending knee injury, meaning that unless Under-21s striker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji is unexpectedly thrust into the limelight, he will be a guaranteed starter until the Gunners can reinforce their squad.
Arsenal are expected to enter the transfer market for attacking additions in the wake of the injuries to Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri, but Havertz has shouldered the goalscoring burden well since the second half of last season.
The ex-Chelsea man has 12 goals to show from 27 appearances this season - seven of which have come in the Premier League - and is still the club's top scorer both in the top flight alone and across all competitions.
In the wake of the despicable messages targeting his family, Havertz should receive a rousing reception from the Emirates faithful on Wednesday night, Watts believes, adding: "I think the supporters are really going to jump behind Havertz tomorrow. I think Arteta's comments were probably aimed at that as well. He knows the importance of the stadium getting behind him.
"It was just a couple of weeks ago when he scored the winner against Ipswich, and the whole stadium was just singing his name. And he's been a hugely important part of Arsenal in the last year.
Havertz could emulate Lukas Podolski in North London derby
© Imago
"He had a difficult start. We all know that, it was very well documented. But then he was hugely influential from the turn of the year onwards. And he's still Arsenal's top goalscorer this season. He's had a bad week, really bad week, when he's missed some crucial chances. But that does not warrant what he's had to endure since that Man United game.
"No one would have left that pitch feeling worse than Kai Havertz, and I really, really hope, the supporters will all get behind him on Wednesday night. And if he can get himself a goal, it would just be so, so important for him, for the team as well. And I really, really hope that happens."
Havertz is aiming to score for the third successive Premier League game on Wednesday night, having made the net ripple against Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace before missing clashes with Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion due to illness.
Playing in the capital often brings out the best in the striker, who has scored each of his last 11 Premier League goals in London, the longest such streak for an Arsenal player since Lukas Podolski's 12 between 2012 and 2014.
Arsenal will leapfrog Nottingham Forest into second in the Premier League table with victory over Spurs, as well as reducing the gap to Liverpool to four points, albeit having played a game more.
Ben Knapton
