Kai Havertz says Arsenal are going for the big titles this season, adding that it’s time to move on from the last couple of weeks and stick together as a club.
Kai Havertz scored the winning goal in Arsenal’s first-leg victory over Sporting CP on Tuesday night, netting in stoppage time to hand his team the advantage ahead of the Champions League quarter-final second leg next week.
Perhaps more than just taking the lead in the tie, the goal was significant as it got the Gunners back to winning ways after back-to-back cup defeats to Manchester City and Southampton over the last few weeks.
Havertz said afterwards that it was important to put those frustrations to bed on Tuesday night.
“I think we needed that as we were all frustrated with how the last couple of weeks went,” Havertz told Arsenal.com. “It’s time to move forward, it’s time to be positive, and it’s time to all stick together as a group – as players, staff, fans, we’re all in this together and we still can make something happen this year.
“It can be something very special, that’s what we’re going to go for, and now it’s time to win games.”
Speaking in further quotes reported by ESPN, Havertz again expressed a similar sentiment, saying: “It is a big turnaround for us because we lost the last two matches. So we wanted to get a turnaround today and we made that happened.
“We stick together as a group, we have so much more to come this season. There are seven weeks to go, we can win big titles and we’re going to go for that.”
If Arsenal can get past Sporting in the second leg next Wednesday, the Gunners will then face a Champions League semi-final tie against either FC Barcelona or Atletico Madrid – depending on the winner of their tie, which kicks off tonight.
On top of that, Arsenal have a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League, but with Manchester City having a game in hand and a match between the two title rivals at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday.
So Arsenal still have the two biggest trophies to play for, despite exiting the League Cup and FA Cup in disappointing fashion. But it’s going to take one big final push to get the team over the line, and everyone needs to be on board for that.