The German international came to Stamford Bridge for a club record fee, but how does Frank Lampard plan to use it in 2020-21?
After all the speculation, the deal has finally been closed: Kai Havertz is a Chelsea player.
The Blues have paid £ 70 million ($ 91 million), including add-ons, to acquire Bayer Leverkusen’s star playmaker.
The promise of that extra money is on the condition that Havertz act upon his move to Stamford Bridge, and while all signs suggest that the 21-year-old will be a Premier League success, the question remains of what role he will play. . Requested to act by Frank Lampard.
“Havertz scores goals with his left foot, his right foot and his head,” said former Leverkusen managing director Reiner Calmund. objective. “He is an exceptional quality. He is also versatile, fit, technically strong and fast. He is an exceptional talent.”
That versatility will be key given the amount of talent Lampard can draw on after a summer in which the Blues spent £ 206 million ($ 272 million) on newcomers.
The former Derby County boss already had players like Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Olivier Giroud to choose from in attack before Havertz’s arrival, so he’s likely to find the right combination. it will be key to Chelsea’s hopes of competing for silver in 2020-21.
Havertz has enjoyed the most successes in his career playing as the No. 10 or second forward in 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 systems, though it is also not a formation Lampard has favored since. taking the reins in West London.
The 42-year-old tended to go 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 during his first season in charge, which means Havertz will likely have to settle for playing in a slightly less familiar role.
One option could see Havertz deployed on the left side of the three forwards, though that would obviously mean that at least two from Pulisic, Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi would be lost.
If Lampard chooses to play his new role in such an advanced role, it would likely mean opting for the wings in a 3-4-3 formation, with new teammate Ben Chilwell’s attacking instincts allowing Havertz to cut in and play closer. to goal than a normal band player.
It’s a role Mount played at times last season, and Havertz proved during his final Bundesliga season that he has the attacking instinct to be part of a front line.
He scored 18 goals in all competitions for Peter Bosz’s team and surpassed his expected league goal count (xG) by 2.85, suggesting that he scored on several tough occasions.
Havertz also had a 20.3 percent shot conversion rate in the Bundesliga, and none of Chelsea’s current wide hitters can claim to have enjoyed such productive campaigns in 2019-20. Christian Pulisic scored nine league goals, with 14.3% of his shots at the net during his first Premier League campaign.
So impressive was Havertz in the final third that Bosz even experimented with interpreting him as a “false nine” after the forced lockdown by the pandemic; a play that allowed the youngster to use his 6’2 “body to gain possession in the air and continue to wreak havoc with the ball at his feet.
Lampard is unlikely to repeat it given the presence of Werner, Abraham, and Giroud, and as such a deeper role may come for Havertz.
Playing on the left side of a midfield three as one of the two No. 8s would give Havertz the opportunity to continue to influence games in the final third, although it would also require him to play more defensive roles.
Towards the end of last season, Lampard began playing against N’Golo Kante as his main defensive midfielder, and the French international’s skill when it comes to regaining possession may allow Havertz a bit more freedom than any other team. .
Having the youngster in midfield would also allow Lampard to return to a back quarter, which in turn means he would be more inclined to select Pulisic as part of the front three.
Lampard was reluctant to play the United States star when the full-backs were deployed, and he felt that having a player like Marcos Alonso on his flank forced Pulisic too far in, given he’s at his best when he’s capable of isolating. to the opposition completely. backs.
One more option might be to take a look at the RB Leipzig and Ajax books, and fit Havertz into a 4-2-2-2 system that Werner and Ziyech are familiar with.
In such a formation, Havertz would play as one of two attacking midfielders behind a pair of forwards, and the wings would be relied on to provide roominess.
That would again put players like Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi on the sidelines, so right now it seems the option of deploying Havertz in midfield makes the most sense for a team that seems almost certain to entertain for the next nine. months.
There’s a reason that various clubs across Europe look on Chelsea’s summer spending with envy, and their ability to sign Havertz will only cause more concern among them.
Chelsea has the versatile, world-class attacker they have wanted since Eden Hazard left. Now they must find out where on the field it can cause the most damage.
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