"Runs around the pitch in slow motion" - Pundit claims Arsenal star looked 'lost' in loss to Lens in UCL fixture

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has criticized Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz for looking 'lost' and running in 'slow motion' during the Gunners' 2-1 defeat against RC Lens in the Champions League.

Speaking to TalkSPORT (via HITC), Agbonlahor did not take kindly to the German's body language. He went as far as blaming Havertz for Mikel Arteta overworking the likes of Bukayo Saka. He said:

"Eventually it was going to happen to Saka and it has now. He has backheeled the ball. Definitely done a hamstring injury.

"But then it doesn't help when you have a player like (Kai) Havertz that runs around the pitch in slow motion and looks like he is lost.

"It's these players that are making Arteta have to start Saka because he knows he is the main man to score goals."

Bukayo Saka has played a remarkable 87 consecutive Premier League games for Arsenal and Agbonlahor believes he needs to be rested from time to time. However, the former Villa man believes the imbalance created by Kai Havertz forces Arteta to start Saka despite the risk of injury.

Agbonlahor said the lack of energy and initiative shown by Havertz puts extra pressure on Saka to perform and score goals.

While there is some truth to his argument, it comes across as a baseless claim in a bid to join the bandwagon of criticizing Havertz and Arsenal.

Arteta has come under fire for starting the German in midfield despite him being a Champions League winner with Chelsea playing as a center-forward.

Whether or not he makes changes to his approach in the upcoming games considering Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are ruled out remains to be seen.

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Arsenal's Bukayo Saka leads Premier League take-ons statistic by a countrymile

Players like Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard are always at a risk of being kicked and tackled hard due to their trickery and explosive style of play that lures defenders into lunging challenges. However, some of the onus is also on the referees to protect players who play this style of fearless football.

Saka has been one of the shining lights for Arsenal this season and leads the charts for successful one-on-ones in the Premier League. The winger has completed 101 successful take-ons, 20 more than Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski in second place.

While his style and his incredible streak of 87 matches for the Gunners has led to an unfortunate injury, it is safe to say that neither Arteta nor Saka will change their ways in the future.