Is Kai Havertz really the answer to Chelsea’s striking woes?
- Cameron Loftus
- 15 March 2022
Despite having shelled out £142m on strikers, the Blues' highest scorer remains midfielder Mason Mount. There are signs that Havertz may finally be emerging as a genuine world-class forward, however.
With Romelu Lukaku seemingly regretting his decision to rejoin Chelsea and Timo Werner working assistant referees' arms more than goalkeepers, Havertz has emerged as the Blues' go-to forward.
Planet Sport crunches the numbers to see whether Havertz deserves to be handed Chelsea's main striker role ahead of his attacking rivals.
Appearances this season
Kai Havertz made it look easy 🥶
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 13, 2022
(via @ChelseaFC)pic.twitter.com/hfITAfoMX2
Premier League-wise, Havertz has appeared on the most occasions for the London club, turning out 20 times for his fellow countryman Thomas Tuchel.
The first seven of those appearances saw the 22-year-old deployed as an attacking midfielder, with Romelu Lukaku used as the sole striker.
However, since Lukaku's downturn in form, Tuchel has opted to use the former Bayer Leverkusen player in a more advanced position, taking up the striking role in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Tuchel does have extraordinary strength in depth within his squad and that has seen Havertz start just 57% of his side's league games, playing 52% of the minutes.
Sixty-four goals in two seasons for Serie A champions Inter Milan persuaded Chelsea to bring Lukaku back to the Bridge and he played the first seven league games he was available for before suffering a sprain. Ruled out for four games, his appearances since then have been more sporadic.
This being said, the 28-year-old has only made one less appearance than Havertz. He has started 43% of matches, completing 48% of the minutes to date.
Unsurprisingly, all of Lukaku's outings have seen him play as a central striker.
Werner, who is two years younger than Lukaku, earned a big-money transfer to Chelsea after impressing in the Bundesliga for both hometown club Stuttgart and latterly Red Bull Leipzig.
This season, Werner has featured 14 times in the league, starting just 29% of Chelsea's games.
As a result he has had to fill in on the left and right in addition to playing up front. However, of the eight matches he has started two were the recent victories over Norwich and Newcastle.
Goals and assists
In the Premier League, Werner only has a solitary league goal - against Southampton - and an assist to his name.
Werner has a better record in the Champions League after netting three times in four games, including a brace against Zenit. He also has two goals and two assists in the FA Cup and one goal in the Carabao Cup.
Lukaku has five league strikes, but three of those came in his first three appearances and his current league goal drought stands at six matches.
Belgium's all-time leading scorer has added two goals apiece in the Club World Cup, FA Cup and Champions League to give him a total of 11 goals for the season.
Havertz is also on 11 goals after his Bergkampesque touch and finish late on against Newcastle.
Six of those have come in the Premier League, with two in the Champions League, two in the Carabao Cup and one in the Club World Cup.
He has three league assists and one in the FA Cup.
Accuracy and conversion rates
Havertz has featured 33 times in all competitions in 2021/22, scoring a goal on average every 0.44 of a match (205 mins per goal). Lukaku, who has played one game less, has the same amount of goals and so boasts a slightly better rate of a goal every 0.46 of a match (195 mins per goal).
Interestingly, Werner splits his fellow striking options, averaging 0.45 goals per 90 minutes (201 mins per goal).
Havertz has taken 49 shots, with a shot accuracy of 61% and has a conversion rate of 22%. Lukaku has mustered slightly fewer shots, with 45 taken and his accuracy is a slightly lower 58%, but he trumps Havertz by having a 24% conversion rate.
Werner has produced 24 shots, with an accuracy of 58%, but his shot conversion is an impressive 29%. That puts him behind only penalty taker Jorginho (60%) and defender Trevoh Chalobah (36%) at the club.
Who's the best fit for Tuchel's system?
Tuchel made his intentions clear at the start of the season by bringing in a mobile target man in the shape of Lukaku and employing Werner and Havertz as inside wingers.
However, with Lukaku often cutting an isolated figure he has had to change his system, utilising Havertz's height and knack for vital goals in the frontman role.
The use of Havertz has added fluidity to Chelsea's line-up, with creative players Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount able to play in the false nine role.
Four goals and an assist have come from Havertz in his last three appearances - all up front - and, more importantly, nine points. He will take some shifting from his central striker role, no matter how much more Lukaku cost.
