MY ACCOUNT
Romelu Lukaku’s struggles handed Kai Havertz the opportunity to be Chelsea’s leading man — and the German has taken his chance with open arms.
The £97.5million man Lukaku should have taken centre stage but issues on the field, and unwise comments off it, mean the Belgian’s Stamford Bridge return has not gone to plan.
A silver lining has emerged for Thomas Tuchel however, as stand-in Havertz has struck 12 times in all competitions — including in the Blues’ 3-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid earlier this week.
Ahead of today’s Premier League clash with Southampton at St Mary’s, we look at why Havertz has earned the right to remain as Chelsea’s first-choice centre forward.
Can’t get a Luk-in
After an all-action display on his second Chelsea debut — bullying Arsenal’s defence into submission — Lukaku looked like the final piece of Tuchel’s attacking jigsaw.
But the failure to build on that showing has not all been his fault.
The Blues signed Lukaku based on his excellent performances for Inter Milan, where he had a strike partner in Lautaro Martinez.
More often than not, Tuchel uses a system with two attacking midfielders behind one striker, or two wingers and a striker in a front three.
This has led to Lukaku regularly being asked to play up top on his own.
His only starts in March came against Luton and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup — the perfect illustration of his rapid fall from grace.
Upping his game
Speaking in December, Tuchel admitted Havertz was aware he needed to score more goals.
He said: “He is trying hard. We don’t need to tell him to score more because he is playing as a striker, a half-striker so he is in exactly where all players demand goals from themselves.”
With Havertz now flourishing, Tuchel insists his countryman is not doing anything differently.
He said: “What he gives is a huge volume.
“He covers a lot of metres and in high intensity, so he finds the intensity no matter in what system the opponent defends against us.
“He uses his body more and more, he loves to create overloads in half-spaces and this is what he gives.”
King Kai
Havertz leading the line is ideal for Tuchel’s system.
It is similar to the way league leaders Manchester City and Liverpool use their central forwards.
And Havertz has the tools required to play this role thanks to his link-up play, pressing, movement off the ball and predatory instinct in front of goal.
False nine
This role requires creativity and mobility as well as the ability to hold the ball up and the German international has the best all-round game.
Havertz is not a creator in the traditional sense. He ranks 14th among all Chelsea players for chances created per 90 minutes in the Premier League this term (0.14) and his expected assists value is just 0.1.
But his ability to make space for other players is what sets him apart.
Even when playing centre forward, Havertz’s heat map shows a tendency to drop deep to help link the play and allow runners such as Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic to go beyond him.
He also works hard out of possession. Havertz is fifth among Chelsea players for possession regains in the attacking third (0.64 per 90) — something Tuchel values highly.
And when the Blues counter, his deceptive speed has led to the fourth-most fast breaks per 90 (0.13) of any member of the West Londoners’ squad.
Timo time?
Tuchel appears unwilling to change his system to accommodate two strikers, which would suit Lukaku and forgotten man Timo Werner.
The 26-year-old former RB Leipzig ace also arrived for a considerable fee but has started most games this season on the bench.
A change in system to accommodate two forwards with Havertz in behind could get the best out of all three players, while still allowing the wing-backs to provide the width.
But whether by design or accident, Tuchel has found an attacking system that works — and he is unlikely to alter it at the business end of the season.
