Kai Havertz's injury may end Arsenal's title hopes

Clawing back a six-point gap to Liverpool, which could become nine in a matter of hours, was always going to be tricky for Arsenal. It moved into the highly challenging sphere without Bukayo Saka until March. It perhaps slipped into Copperfield-like territory when Gabriel Martinelli went down for a month. With the news today that Kai Havertz will miss the rest of the season, even Houdini might begin to smirk and say, "Uh, good luck, bud."

Arsenal will have to attack, and perhaps that term ahould be used loosely, without any of their first-choice forward line for at least the next month. They'll have to finish the season without any of their preferrend central striker options, as Gabriel Jesus has also been packed off back to the manufacturer until next season. At the moment, the only healthy, regularly-used forward Arsenal have is Leandro Trossard. Put your hand down, Raheem Sterling!

While Havertz certainly has his fair share of critics, some of the stick he gets fair and some of it not as he was never billed as a traditional No. 9, he was a warm body. Arsenal have a Champions League Round of 16 tie and four Premier League fixtures to negotiate over the next month. They'll have to do it with only Trossard, Sterling, and Ethan Nwaneri basically having to play every game, unless there's some radical shift in formation. Martin Ødegaard playing wide right, anyone?

That's also shortchanging Havertz, as far as what he provides. He might not pile up the goals as a traditional center-forward might, but he does so much else. He's a top-tier creator and passer from the top of the formation, is excellent in the air, never stops running, and can be a vicious presser. Sure, some of that is in the "you have to listen to the notes he's not playing" variety of job description when talking about a center-forward, but Havertz does a ton that helps Arsenal win. He was a hard enough project to replace when Arsenal had the whole next summer to plan how. Now they have to do it by Sunday for their next Premier League game.

While Havertz bore the brunt of the shrieking about Arsenal's lack of goal-scoring, it's not like the team as a whole created a host of chances that Havertz would send into the concourse. They only rank seventh in the league in expected goals, That's matched by ranking 11th in shots per game, Their standing as being second in goals is a tribute to their dead-eyed ways, as they lead the Premier League in shooting percentage (38 percent) and goals-per-shot (14 percent). Havertz's marks of 43 percent and 17 percent in those categories helped more than they hurt by some distance. Now Arsenal have to maintain that with an entirely second-choice frontline. One that includes Sterling, who has developed a severe allergy to the penalty area as a whole the past couple seasons.

Saka will be back in a few weeks. Martinelli perhaps not too long after that. Mikel Arteta will have to get creative in between the two without Havertz or Jesus, but at least that would be closer to full-strength. If there's any sliver lining, and there may not be, it's that Arsenal's fixtures until those two are back isn't totally daunting. Leicester away, West Ham at home, Forest and Manchester United away. Only the trip to the City Ground would be considered a real challenge.

The Champions League shouldn't provide too much sterner of a test for the Round of 16, where the Gunners could see any of Juventus, Milian, PSV, or Feyenoord. They'd be clear favorites against any, even in their battered state.

But Arsenal were already a team playing heavily on the margins, given their more conservative attacking ways this season. Throw in the attrition and the added minutes to what was supposed to be the support crew, spice it with Liverpool's almost completely clear injury list, and it's looking like a very big ask of Arsenal to stay in the title race.

Sometimes, the bear eats you.