Thomas Tuchel lays down challenge to Kai Havertz to re-discover his best Chelsea form



Thomas Tuchel has admitted he expected more from Kai Havertz this season after his Champions League heroics at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

The German, who turned 22 in June, has failed to kick on from a good end to last season where the German head coach deployed the attacker in a false nine role as Timo Werner struggled in front of goal.

Havertz netted three times in his final five Premier League games of the season and then the all-important winner against Manchester City to scoop the Champions League title in Porto back in May.

But it is just one goal in nine outings so far this season for Havertz, a looping header in the Blues 1-1 draw with Liverpool in August and a lot more was expected from the attacker.

He started Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Juventus in Turin back gave away the ball 14 times throughout the game as he and his teammates laboured to defeat at the Allianz Stadium.

With Hakim Ziyech and Werner also struggling for form and Christian Pulisic injured, the chance has been there for Havertz to make the spot his own. Having played far better in a central role in his Chelsea career so far, perhaps playing on the flanks of Romelu Lukaku, which is where Tuchel has put him, hasn’t been the best use of Havertz.

The 22-year-old has plenty of cache in the bank after his goal in the Champions League final though the former club-record signing, who Chelsea spent £71million on to sign from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2020, is finding things tough once again to start this season.

Ahead of the Premier League game against Southampton at Stamford Bridge this weekend, Tuchel was asked about Havertz’s current malaise and if the head coach expected more from his countryman.

Tuchel said: “Not only because of the goal, which of course helped, but he came back and showed a different attitude in training, a mature way of training, using his body.

“Yes, I am not shy of saying it, we expected to see more of this in games and at he same time, it is important that I feel the whole team is maybe a little bit struck in expectations.

“We want absolutely more from Kai, what he can deliver because he is full of talent, of course. Nobody is angry at him but once you play for Chelsea, we want to have the best out of you.

“I don’t know why, maybe it is because of our success, it’s very important an necessary that we brush it off our shoulders and focus on the right here and now.

“I want to have the best out of me, the club does as well and the players and they need to accept these expectations but at the same time, get rid of them and fight hard for being an important player.

“Every time is a crucial moment, crucial games and we will push, we will not stop, try to help and the players in the need to show it. It’s their game, quality and moments that they have to use.”





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