Kai Havertz has rallied his Arsenal teammates to "stick together" in the wake of a disappointing result that sees their Premier League aspirations take a hit. The beleaguered Gunners let slip the chance to gain ground on Liverpool, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Fulham, by only scraping a point in a lacklustre 0-0 stalemate with Everton at the Emirates – a match that ended with some fans expressing their displeasure.
With this being Arsenal's second consecutive draw in less than a week, they've accumulated just 13 points out of the last 27, marking a downturn in form as compared to previous seasons which saw them finish second to Manchester City. Despite the setback and his own struggles in front of goal, Havertz emphasises the need for unity as Arsenal’s focus shifts to an important Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, followed by another clash against Palace in the league come Saturday.
"We try to look at ourselves," the German striker insisted. "Win games, get points. I think that’s the most frustrating point against Everton, that we didn’t do that."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his frustration over the team's recent performances, pinpointing issues in the attacking third. "Just the little details in the box, we didn’t manage to do them. We didn’t find the final pass. Sometimes I think the positioning in the box wasn’t perfect, so we have to look at that and make it better in the next game," he said.
Arteta remained optimistic, however, adding, "We try to be positive, stick together as a group and make it better next time."
Despite a challenging schedule with Arsenal's seventh game in 21 days since returning from the international break, Arteta dismissed any suggestions of fatigue impacting his squad. "When we have to track back 70 metres, we are the best in the world by far," he claimed.
"So it’s not about energy. The way they want it is unbelievable."
He continued to praise his players' efforts: "Every single player is playing with a purpose to make things happen. The frustrating part is that they are there. We are trying everything and not getting the points. We have to continue."