Kai Havertz

[Jase 43,479]

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.

[NikkiCFC 7,903]

Now with both Ziyech and CHO out Havertz is nice option for RW especially considering how good Mount and Kovacic are at the moment. 

Also for people concerned about his performances... Look at Felix. Last season he did not do much but this season he is on fire. They are both generational talents. So no worries.

[Vesper 28,385]

8 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Now with both Ziyech and CHO out Havertz is nice option for RW especially considering how good Mount and Kovacic are at the moment. 

Also for people concerned about his performances... Look at Felix. Last season he did not do much but this season he is on fire. They are both generational talents. So no worries.

Havertz is always a slow season-starter anyway

look at last season

zero concerns on Kai

do not care if it takes a full year or two for him to settle (would be nice if it was sooner, obviously)

he is super skilled, a superb player

been watching him for ages

look at me with Zouma, (not the  best example per se but I explain)

I was patient as hell with him for a long time

I saw his knee injury mentally holding him back for ages

I finally snapped (extraordinarily wrong-headedly) when I saw him and Kepa and Rudiger (who I backed for ages as well) as a fucking trainwreck

BUT

it was not Zouma

hell it was not even (sort of) Rudiger

it was Kepa

Thiago and Zouma are beast pairing with mendy behind them

and finally, to show how shit and overarching the disaster that is Kepa was

look at how settled and good AC and Rudiger were as a pair with Mendy backing them

the mistake with Zouma and Mendy leading to that one goal v Leeds was a one off

they both hesitated at almost the same time

fatal there but not likely to happen more than handful of times ever going forward

hell I saw it happen with Buffon and Chiellini, with Iker and Sergio Ramos, with Dida and Maldini

shit just happens at times, and I am sure they have talked it out in terms of a future-forward situational stance

[communicate 2,703]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

Havertz is always a slow season-starter anyway

look at last season

zero concerns on Kai

do not care if it takes a full year or two for him to settle (would be nice if it was sooner, obviously)

he is super skilled, a superb player

been watching him for ages

look at me with Zouma, (not the  best example per se but I explain)

I was patient as hell with him for a long time

I saw his knee injury mentally holding him back for ages

I finally snapped (extraordinarily wrong-headedly) when I saw him and Kepa and Rudiger (who I backed for ages as well) as a fucking trainwreck

BUT

it was not Zouma

hell it was not even (sort of) Rudiger

it was Kepa

Thiago and Zouma are beast pairing with mendy behind them

and finally, to show how shit and overarching the disaster that is Kepa was

look at how settled and good AC and Rudiger were as a pair with Mendy backing them

the mistake with Zouma and Mendy leading to that one goal v Leeds was a one off

they both hesitated at almost the same time

fatal there but not likely to happen more than handful of times ever going forward

hell I saw it happen with Buffon and Chiellini, with Iker and Sergio Ramos, with Dida and Maldini

shit just happens at times, and I am sure they have talked it out in terms of a future-forward situational stance

My biggest concern with kai is more on his combination with Ziyech. Can they work together? 

[Vesper 28,385]

1 hour ago, communicate said:

My biggest concern with kai is more on his combination with Ziyech. Can they work together? 

I see no reason why not

[communicate 2,703]

9 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I see no reason why not

They kinda want to play in the same area

[Vesper 28,385]

32 minutes ago, communicate said:

They kinda want to play in the same area

Havertz plays more centrally

[Atomiswave 6,072]

We give players no time to adapt and gel, most want instant success on the spot, it doesnt work that way, social media is one of the reasons we have no patience with new players coming in.

[Jase 43,479]

 

[kellzfresh 7,228]

His form is up and down, just there so far for us

These were my initial thoughts before we bought him

Quote

I must be the only chelsea fan not convinced by Havertz. He has some skills and is a good passer obviously but I've watched a lot of his matches and highlights now and I'm yet to see anything SIGNIFICANT he has imo. He has 11 goals and 5 assists in 26 or so matches in the league, and people are saying he's a great passer? That assist record is too small to convince me, given how high up the pitch he plays. I generally am never convinced by very big creative midfielders (where is all the hype about savic now). He is worth 45mil but not this 75mil I've been seeing flying around. 

I hope we don't buy him honestly, if we have to get an attacking mid, Aouar from Lyon would be better.

http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/28759-kai-havertz/?page=4

Quote

Honestly I will only be satisfied with his signing if he is playing beside Werner in attack. Havertz is tall, and scores goals but his assists is not good enough to become the fulcrum of our creativity in attack, we have Ziyech for that.

If we get him for 45mil, I would be elated with the signing, but if I see 75mil used on him, it would feel like we wasted so much money. 

 

http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/28759-kai-havertz/?page=6

I was not convinced initially but a lot of people spoke about him so highly that I thought I was the only Chelsea fan who couldn't see his potential so I had to accept his positives and hoped for the best.

So far I'm yet to be convinced as our most expensive signing, he should be doing more. I'm really hoping he proves my initial reading of him wrong

[Atomiswave 6,072]

1 hour ago, kellzfresh said:

So far I'm yet to be convinced as our most expensive signing, he should be doing more

Mate, the dude is 20 years old, just arrived in the most fucked up, physical, pacy league in the world with the best managers around. I promise this dude will come good.

[kellzfresh 7,228]

28 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

Mate, the dude is 20 years old, just arrived in the most fucked up, physical, pacy league in the world with the best managers around. I promise this dude will come good.

I'm hoping he does honestly. Everyone is completely convinced he will become world class definitely.

I have never been convinced about tall, lanky attacking midfielders as I feel they won't have the guile and mobility to thrive in tight spaces.

A lot of us criticized Mount for better performances than him last season, hopefully Havertz performs and shuts me up in no time.

[Milan 17,850]

Let me put it this way - if there is one current Chelsea player that I believe might actually win the Ballon d’Or, it is Havertz. And I am not forgetting Pulisic.

[Atomiswave 6,072]

43 minutes ago, kellzfresh said:

I'm hoping he does honestly. Everyone is completely convinced he will become world class definitely.

I have never been convinced about tall, lanky attacking midfielders as I feel they won't have the guile and mobility to thrive in tight spaces.

A lot of us criticized Mount for better performances than him last season, hopefully Havertz performs and shuts me up in no time.

Yeah Mount recieved alot of shit thrown at him but I bet most have realised what an asset he is for Chels. Kai will come good mate, some need that extra time to level up, though I thought he was good before he got covid. 

[killer1257 3,282]

Let me put it this way - if there is one current Chelsea player that I believe might actually win the Ballon d’Or, it is Havertz. And I am not forgetting Pulisic.

Ballon d'or? Lol

Hazard was the closest thing we ever had that might have won Ballon d'or, but was unlucky because of Messi and Ronaldo.
I don't think we will have anyone close to Hazards level of greatness in the next coming years.



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[Milan 17,850]

9 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

Ballon d'or? Lol

Hazard was the closest thing we ever had that might have won Ballon d'or, but was unlucky because of Messi and Ronaldo.
I don't think we will have anyone close to Hazards level of greatness in the next coming years.



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I am not saying he will be a certain winner, just that for me from the current squad he has the biggest chance. Challenging for the Champions League might help the cause. With Hazard we had only 1 solid CL campaign.

[Magic Lamps 11,636]

1 hour ago, killer1257 said:

Ballon d'or? Lol

Hazard was the closest thing we ever had that might have won Ballon d'or, but was unlucky because of Messi and Ronaldo.
I don't think we will have anyone close to Hazards level of greatness in the next coming years.



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Hazard might have been our most talented player but clearly not our closest to Ballon d'or. Lampard is obviously the closest thing we had to win Ballon d'or while playing for us, just getting 2nd behind ronaldinho because Gerrard took votes off him . George Weah was a world footballer of the year who played for us later.

Pulisic while extremely talented will never become truly great bc of his injuries. He is just not cut out to be. Havertz is the more likely candidate,but i doubt it. He is a simple, yet effective player who will produce big number in his peak but never flash people too much.

Also who it is a team sport. individual accolates should not matter that much. If we win a few more CLs and champoinships in the next decades, I could not care less about ballon d'or.

[Magic Lamps 11,636]

Kai makes Alex Iwobi the worst winger in the league look like a world beater today