Kai Havertz message Lukaku as Tuchel hands Chelsea star new responsibility
With Romelu Lukaku having left Chelsea, there will be extra pressure on Kai Havertz to deliver goals during the 2022/23 campaign.
A challenge lies ahead for Kai Havertz at Chelsea. He knows it too. Romelu Lukaku is gone and there is currently no sign of an out-and-out number nine being signed. So it will fall upon the German to take on the goalscoring responsibility during the 2022/23 campaign.
Havertz netted 14 times last term; it’s a figure that needs to be higher this time around. At 23 years old and with two seasons of English football under his belt, there is hope – perhaps even expectation – that the forward blossoms into one of Europe’s most feared. But consistency is first required.
Throughout his career, Havertz has tended to start seasons slowly. That can’t be the case come August if he is leading the Chelsea attack. Havertz also has to become more reliable in the penalty area, a fact which was highlighted by the former Bayer Leverkusen star’s miss in the pre-season friendly win over Club America Saturday evening.
“Consistency in football is a very big word; we play every three days and we have to always keep the level high,” Havertz tells . “It’s also the case for me to be consistent in every match and to score as many goals as I can. Sometimes, it’s normal that for one game you drop the level. It’s not always possible to score five goals in every game. Consistency for me is a big point and I try to work on that.”
In Thomas Tuchel, Havertz has a strong supporter. The Chelsea head coach values the German international’s game intelligence, appreciation of space, technique, and the intensity of his off-the-ball work. It’s why Havertz ended the campaign as the club’s first-choice striker ahead of Lukaku.
That trust is important for Havertz – and he plans to continue repaying it this season. “You always feel the responsibility when you play,” Havertz explains. “We all wish Rom the best and hopefully, it is going to be a good step for him. But of course, I want to play. It was also the case last year.
