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Kai Havertz, once described by Thomas Tuchel as a “nine and a half”, has struggled to become the focal point of Chelsea’s attack under Tuchel and the club’s current manager, Graham Potter. Chelsea have scored just seven goals in 14 games since the World Cup until the victory over Leeds earlier this month, with Havertz playing centrally for most of those games.
Chelsea have scored 7 goals in the last 3 games, starting with the Champions League round of 16 victory over Dortmund. The biggest change in the Blues’ attack has been to move Havertz deeper into the attacking midfield role and has scored in each of those three games, although two of his goals have come from penalties.
What does the PFF rating say about Kai Havertz’s season?
While Havertz has struggled as a traditional centre-forward, he appears to be better suited as an attacking midfielder.
Haverts played 33 times on behalf of the German national team, with excellent distribution. This season’s Premier League PFF pass score is 86.2, ranking second among centers, second only to Harry Kane (87.9).
The 28 breakout passes he completed were fifth among centers this season. Compared to wingers and attacking midfielders, Havertz ranks fifth in passing rating, suggesting he excels in the holding midfield position.
Another major strength of the former Leverkusen academy graduate is receiving the ball in the space between the lines. He has received 178 breakthrough passes in the Premier League this season, seventh among all players and second among centre-forwards behind Harry Kane (211).
Additionally, he ranks fifth in passes per 90 (29.4) and eighth in passes per 90 (7.4) compared to centers with at least 200 targets.
Work rate won’t be an issue when playing in midfield, with Havertz fourth in the Premier League this season with 624 successful pressures from centre-forwards, despite playing in teams where possession dominates. Havertz averaged 26.1 successful pressures per 90 minutes and the only centre-forward to average more appearances for his team in the top half was Roberto Firmino at 34 per 90 minutes (minimum 1000 minutes played).
Weaknesses in Havertz’s game
Although he is the scorer of the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final, Havertz’s weakness in this season’s game is shooting. His PFF shooting rating of 76.2 this season ranks 17th among Premier League centers.
That rating is closer to Bukayo Saka (76.2) and Gabriel Martinelli (76.6) than clinical strikers like Erling Haaland (91.1) and Harry Kane (87.7). Havertz is taking 2.6 shots per 90 minutes, only 24th among centers with at least 10 shots this season.
Best for Graham Potter’s men?
Graham Potter has moved Havertz into an attacking midfield role in recent weeks and has seen immediate results. He earned a place in our Team of the Week with one of his best performances of the season against Leicester City, scoring the second goal of the game against Danny Ward, And got a PFF shooting rating of 89.3, which is his highest score of the season.
Havertz scored again against Everton and could have had more, with his 78.4 shot rating his third highest of the season and his six shots equaling his season high. In a limited sample size, there is evidence that putting Havertz in a deeper role could unlock his finishing potential.
Havertz’s ratings and stats profile suggest he is better at receiving the ball in space, passing the ball into danger and creating chances for others, while being a commendable goalscorer rather than the main source of goals for his side. There is still potential for him to develop into a clinical attacker, but more likely from a deeper position than he has played for most of his Chelsea career thus far.
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