Havertz still adapting to No 8 role, PL intensity – and Kovacic battle awaits
https://theathletic.com/2241566/2020/12/06/havertz-kovacic-no-8-role/?source=emp_shared_article
When he left the Stamford Bridge pitch to be replaced by Mateo Kovacic in the 67th minute, Kai Havertz did so to warm applause from the stands for the first time in his Chelsea career. All the unfamiliarity of these early months — a new country, a new league, a new team — has been exacerbated by the succession of empty Premier League stadiums, and he seemed genuinely appreciative as he acknowledged some of the people who have offered him their support, up close and from afar, without seeing more than flashes of his huge talent.
It was a little surprising to find Havertz, rather than Kovacic, in Frank Lampard’s starting XI to face Leeds United, barely a month after he was forced to isolate with COVID-19 and only three days after playing 67 minutes against Sevilla. A lower-risk final step in his return to peak physical condition would have been Tuesday’s meaningless Champions League group stage clash with Krasnodar rather than a battle for three important Premier League points with Leeds, one of the most energetic and intense teams in the division.
Havertz’s showing was predictably mixed. He actually featured heavily in Chelsea’s equaliser, receiving the ball on the half-turn from Thiago Silva, moving it on to Hakim Ziyech and then surging into the penalty area; if Olivier Giroud had not met the overlapping Reece James’ pinpoint delivery with a cool finish at the near post, the club’s marquee summer signing was unmarked and perfectly placed to convert it himself. At the end of the first half, he made a similar run, only for Timo Werner’s low cross to be blocked before it could reach him.
Shortly after the interval he connected with an inviting whipped James free kick from the left at the near post, but could only direct his free header over. Then there were the loose touches that have become an unwanted theme of his first few months in England: one attempted return pass to Werner that dribbled out of play, as well as a clumsy dribble that gifted possession to Kalvin Phillips and set up a Leeds counter-attack that ultimately forced Kurt Zouma into a full-blooded sliding tackle to nullify the threat of Patrick Bamford.
So far this season, Havertz is being dispossessed 2.17 times per 90 minutes on average across all competitions — almost twice as often as any other player in the Chelsea squad (Kovacic, by way of comparison, is dispossessed 0.98 times per 90 minutes). It’s an eye-catching number, but not one that’s particularly unusual or unduly worrying for a creative player trying to find his rhythm in the Premier League, where they typically get less time to assess their surroundings and make the right decision with the ball before pressure arrives.
Havertz himself admitted as much in an interview published on Chelsea’s website in early October. “It’s more intense and I noticed that in the first few games,” he said of the Premier League in comparison to his experiences in Germany. “The intensity in the duels and the runs is much higher. It’s a completely different league and the games are very exhausting. The Bundesliga isn’t worse but I noticed differences. It seems to me like there aren’t any average or bad players here — everybody is at a very high level.”
Other eye-catching numbers are more positive: Havertz’s 3.25 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes across all competitions this season rank him fifth in the Chelsea squad behind Ziyech (5.16), Mason Mount (3.69), Callum Hudson-Odoi (3.63) and Christian Pulisic (3.37), while his 2.55 passes that lead to a shot attempt per 90 minutes are bettered only by Ziyech (4.15). His record of four goals and three assists in 14 appearances doesn’t do full justice to quite how frequently threatening he has been.
There’s every reason to think Havertz will make the adjustment, but the process has been slowed — first by the shifting of his position on the pitch, then by COVID-19. He began the season in his favoured No 10 role, was deployed as a false nine against Liverpool in September and is now being asked to perform as a shuttling No 8 on the right of a midfield three, balancing his creative instincts with increased pressing and defensive responsibilities. In his 67 minutes against Leeds he registered as many interceptions (one) as key passes.
As a No 8, he is not yet matching the all-round contribution of Mount, who has arguably been Chelsea’s best player since Lampard shifted to the current expansive 4-3-3 system, provided a spectacular seven key passes against Leeds and assisted Kurt Zouma’s header. Havertz is also not as natural a fit for the role as Kovacic, who has been a slick and steadying presence on the other side of Kante in recent weeks.
The early signs are that Kovacic is reining in the slaloming runs that established him as arguably the best ball-carrying central midfielder in world football last season; he is attempting 1.41 dribbles per 90 minutes so far in 2020-21, down from 3.05 in 2019-20. His success rate has gone up from 74.8 per cent to 92.3 per cent, increasing the overall efficiency of a skill set that already marked him out as an excellent possession player who can be relied upon to press and tackle with intensity.
Havertz can also be dangerous running with the ball, most often with space rather than opponents in front of him. He and Kovacic functioned well in tandem during Chelsea’s 4-0 rout of Sevilla in midweek, frequently beating the Spanish team’s midfield press and running directly at their defence, offering fans a glimpse of a potential alternative midfield combination. “I love the fact that when Kai drove for Oli’s first goal (against Sevilla), he had the calmness to find the right pass,” Lampard said on Friday.
As long as Mount maintains his current outstanding performance level, one of the No 8 spots either side of Kante will be automatically occupied, leaving Havertz and Kovacic the likeliest contenders to battle for the other. It wouldn’t be a surprise for Saturday’s second-half substitution against Leeds to become a recurring pattern under Lampard as Ross Barkley for Kovacic was under Maurizio Sarri; tweaking the one who starts and the one who replaces him based on form, fitness and the nature of the opponent.
There’s no doubt that Havertz would rather play as a No 10, but then so would three or four of Lampard’s other attackers. The system that makes the most sense for Chelsea right now is 4-3-3, and that No 8 role on the right of the midfield trio is the most logical place for him to fit within it. He will adjust to the particular challenges of the job sooner or later, along with all of the other challenges posed by his move to England. Until that happens, he will continue to appreciate the patient support of fans.
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