Thomas Tuchel explains new Chelsea role for Kai Havertz after Leeds draw
Speaking to BT Sport (h/t Express), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has outlined why he chose to play Kai Havertz as a centre-forward in the game against Leeds United.
The Blues travelled to Elland Road to take on Marcelo Bielsa’s men and fans were in for a surprise selection as Havertz was picked as the No.9 in front of the attacking midfield trio of Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic.
While the game might have ended in a goalless draw, Havertz made quite the impression in his new position and often looked the most likely player to break the deadlock on Sunday afternoon.
The German international, who had impressed a false-nine last time out against Everton, was lively in the final third and had more attempts at goal than the entire Leeds team combined.
And Tuchel, explaining his thought process behind the selection, revealed that he sees Havertz as a striker owing to the way that the former Bayer Leverkusen star plays and the positions he takes up.
“He is pretty much a number nine because he likes to be high and not necessarily drop to 10 and turn. He loves to be high and arrive in the box. He loves to be there and have the last touch. This is for me why he played number nine today.”
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The result sees Chelsea extend their unbeaten run to 12 games under Tuchel, with the club now keeping ten clean sheets under the German.
As for Havertz, the German has started to show the spark that prompted Chelsea to splash the cash on him in the summer. It will be interesting to see if Tuchel persists with him at the top moving forward in the season.