‘Ready for the No.9 position at Chelsea’ – Star player tells Tuchel
Following Romelu Lukaku’s departure, along with Armando Broja’s potential exit, leaves Chelsea without a typical No. 9 in the lineup.
However, The acquisition of Lukaku didn’t fit Chelsea’s playing philosophy, and the Belgian had a difficult year.
Under Thomas Tuchel, Kai Havertz frequently played as a false nine, and the German appeared to relish the position. Two years ago, Chelsea won the Champions League thanks to his goal.
As Tuchel doesn’t want a conventional number 9, Kai Havertz has recently stated that he is prepared to fill the No. 9 position if necessary.
“I’ve played a lot of positions over the years but last season I played a lot as a No9 and it’s a position I like very much,” Havertz said at the Allegiant Stadium after Chelsea beat Club America 2-1 in a pre-season friendly over the weekend.
“If I look back four years ago, I could never have imagined playing there. But the last two years I’ve played it more often and I like the position.
“It’s still good that I am flexible and can play different positions up front, but I am there to score goals and make assists and as a number nine you have to do that and link up with players.
“I always go into matches telling myself that I want to score or make an assist. That’s always my goal, as a striker you have to do that. Of course, it’s not possible in every game.
“There are only a small amount of players that can really do that, and even they struggle sometimes. So I go into every match trying to score and help the team.”
Havertz also admitted that he tries to be consistent as much as possible, but it isn’t always easy.
He added: “Consistency in football is a very big word; we play every three days and we have to always keep the level high. 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.”