When he was forced to miss out on essential games due to his high school examinations in 2017, many would have likely very first heard about Havertz. The truth a 17-year-old was delegated with the responsibility of beginning huge video games is a sign of the high esteem in which he was held if absolutely nothing else.
His underlying metrics and real output have actually seen progressive improvements for many years. The development in some of them has not been linear or constant but that only serves to underline the intricacies of gamer advancement. Some players need to regress in order to progress, as paradoxical as that sounds.
Another point of interest is Havertzs shot choice. He does not choose to take shots from long range and instead prefers taking shots from harmful locations inside the box. This shows well on his decision-making thinking about the fact numerous midfielders, specifically kids, are trigger-happy from distance.
Havertz ended up 2019-20 with 0.64 non-penalty xG + xA per 90 in the league, a completely excellent tally. His xG over-performance suggests that he is an above-average finisher too, a characteristic that will no doubt appeal to decision-makers at the club considering the groups profligacy.
Not because Eden Hazard in 2012 have Chelsea made a finalizing as ground-breaking as this. The club are getting a gamer yearned for by every big club on earth, a gamer who has actually been called the best gamer in Bayer Leverkusen history and a hybrid of Mesut Özil and Michael Ballack.
This seems a consistent theme amongst attacking players targeted by Chelsea, with Havertz, Werner and Pulisic all having this characteristic.
His very first real action towards superstardom can be found in the 2018-19 season where he bagged 17 objectives in league play, leading Leverkusen to a top 4 finish. While 2019-20 was not as magnificent, a return of 12 goals and 6 helps is still highly respectable.
Nevertheless, he can enhance the number of shots he takes. His tally of roughly 2.6 shots per 90 in 2018-19 is what he must be intending towards this season, prior to transitioning into the 3 variety in the future. Who better than the very best goalscoring midfielder in history to coach him in this regard?
Havertzs ability to score from various regions deserves highlighting. Unlike some players who restrict themselves to certain locations, Havertz has actually revealed the capacity to complete from various locations and with various body parts.
Kai Havertz has been around relatively permanently, finishing his 4th full season at his hometown club recently. Over the seasons, he has actually developed as a gamer and has gradually gone from a gifted youngster to one of the best players in the nation.
This degree of finishing is a repeatable skill that can be expected to carry over from Bundesliga to the Premier League.
A few of these tags are hyperbolic and do not hold much credence. Nevertheless, Havertz is undoubtedly among the best skills in the world and arguably the most versatile.
His development for many years, his qualities and how his traits fit the existing Chelsea attire will be explored in the upcoming areas.
This short article will take a look at his positives, negatives, tactical fit and expectations entering into the season.
Shot zones
Scoring places
Do keep in mind the variety of goals he has scored from simply outside the six-yard box. Lampard has consistently specified his to see midfielders and wingers to assault the goal any place possible and score from close variety. Havertzs tendency to appear near to objective and capitalize on seemingly innocuous circumstances would have been a significant destination.
An xA-per-90 of 0.3 (via understat) is an excellent figure in seclusion and puts him is esteemed business among the likes of Philippe Coutinho (0.27 ), Trent Alexander-Arnold (0.32 ), Bernardo Silva (0.28) and Papu Gomez (0.32 ). Nevertheless, this is not to state he is an elite level developer (yet), a subject that will be discussed later on.
His development throughout the years in regards to simple metrics such as shots and dribbles has been simply as encouraging. The increase in assaulting output can partly be associated to the fact he has been released in more attacking positions in current seasons and partly to his own growth as a gamer.
As he has actually evolved as a player, he has found himself ending up being more active inside the charge box and actively impacting the game from closer to objective. Surprisingly, while he focused primarily on goalscoring in 2018-19, his focus in 2019-20 appeared to be opportunity development.
Nature of goals
He will certainly have to become more extreme in his safeguarding if Havertz is to cement himself as a serious beginning option at a big club. Given the degree of pressing used in modern football, no group can afford to bring guests off the ball.
When it pertains to pure ending up, Havertz looks for to utilize the broken shot and far post finish anywhere possible. While he efficient in performing other surfaces, he clearly has his favorites.
Havertz might maybe never ever reach De Bruynes or Özils level artistically– even at a young age, those two were acquiring incredible numbers– but in Müller he has a blueprint to follow in terms of developing his imaginative death. Müller in 2019-20 acquired a whopping 21 league assists and there is no reason to believe that Havertz couldnt put up at least two-thirds of that (14 assists) ultimately in the future.
Imaginative passing
Havertz ratings from a wide range of scenarios, a few of them directly created by his ability to determine and exploit space. His late encounter package are similar to his brand-new manager and while he is clearly not as great (or constant) as Lampard at it yet, the raw tools are definitely there to establish.
Defensive output
Athleticism
At 21, it is something that he can learn with time and end up being much better at. Nevertheless, enhancements need to be seen from day 1. Protective intensity is possibly the only aspect where he is under pressure to enhance instantly.
Amongst the 18 premium chances (xG over 0.25) he has produced over the last 2 seasons, a paltry 4 of them was available in 2018-19. The goal for 2020-21 and beyond should to be maintain (if not enhance) the rate of premium opportunity production he managed in 2019-20 while likewise creating smaller opportunities somewhere else.
This is possibly Havertzs greatest weak point. He has been a big wheel in a small pond at Leverkusen, implying he has actually not been asked to contribute much defensively. That will not hold true at Chelsea. A quick comparison in between him and Mount, the leader of Chelseas press, lays bare his drawbacks.
This is a completely fixable concern and Pulisic went through a comparable adjustment curve in regards to physicality. During the adjustment process in the preliminary phases of his Chelsea profession, do not be surprised to see him lose the ball frequently.
Havertz is yet to submit his frame and it is not uncommon to see him pushed off the ball. In a more physical league such as the Premier League, he stands to lose the ball a lot more owing to his absence of strength.
Comparing Havertz to younger versions of other imaginative midfielders offers some context. De Bruyne in 2012-13 balanced 2.6 key passes per 90 instead of Havertzs 2.16 this season. The corresponding figures for Toni Kroos (11-12), Thomas Müller (10-11) and Özil (09-10) are 2.3, 1.8 and 3.2 respectively.
From an imaginative viewpoint, Havertz has strongly enhanced over the previous 12 months. He is not a top-tier creator yet in terms of the amount of chances he produces. His help tally is excellent however one thinks he can enhance further.
Havertz stands at 1.89 m and fasts for his size, clocking up a hardly credible leading speed of 35.02 hm/h in 2018-19. Nevertheless, this is not to suggest there is no space for enhancement here.
While this is not truly an unfavorable, he will succeed to broaden his range. This might have to do with his confidence as much as capability and he can be anticipated to enhance at this as he gains more experience.
As mentioned before, his xA tally has actually improved significantly and has actually reached a solid figure in 2019-20. However, he is not a chance-creating maker as you would get out of a player compared to Mesut Özil. His opportunities tend to be fewer in number however generally of a higher quality.
The variety of individually circumstances he finds himself in is additional reflection of his intelligence. The Bundesliga does tend to feature defences vulnerable to individually scenarios however it still takes a degree of footballing IQ to get on the end of these possibilities.
Tactical fit at Chelsea
However, Havertzs long term future certainly lies as a midfielder in a 4-3-3. His ability to make late face package and exploit unattended spaces across the pitch makes him a prime candidate for the role of an “attacking 8”, to obtain an expression from Twitter parlance.
Do not dismiss the possibility of Havertz playing as a centre-forward in due course. He might well wind up playing there when he develops physically and fills out his frame. A front three of Werner, Havertz and Ziyech has open-ended possibilities.
It might be surprising that Havertz has in fact not been used typically as a central midfielder over the past few seasons. He has actually been used mostly as a winger on the right with periodic appearances at centre forward and attacking midfield.
While his numbers as a winger are pretty encouraging, there are concerns over his ability in one-v-one dribble circumstances. Havertz can potentially play as a winger, this is not state otherwise, but it needs to not be viewed as the very first alternative thinking about Chelseas lineup.
Among Havertzs biggest positives is his versatility. He has actually been released in different positions across his profession and has done justice to each of them. For the sake of his advancement and expertise, he needs to settle on a position quickly.
Havertzs production has remained at fairly excellent levels no matter the position he has actually played in. His productivity is highest as a centre-forward, as you would expect from a gamer deployed close to objective.
Setting expectations for next season
What can we anticipate from Havertz in his first season in the PL?
N.B. Pulisics xG/xA metrics stayed broadly consistent in his final season at Dortmund and first season at Chelsea. Nevertheless, he completed badly at Dortmund and his ending up went back to the mean at Chelsea, describing the increased output.
Conclusion
In Kai Havertz, Chelsea have actually signed a gamer who can really be called a “super-talent”. In terms of output, intelligence, raw physical tools and maturity, it is nearly impossible to discover a 21 year as total as Havertz other than for Kylian Mbappé.
While this is not to say Havertzs first season will be a write-off, however the adaptation process may not be the best and we should be comprehending of Havertzs situation.
Havertz at present is not as excellent as Aubameyang was when he moved to Arsenal. At the same time, this Chelsea group are considerably much better than the Arsenal team Aubameyang transferred to. Keeping these two factors in mind, a rough 30% drop in output can be presumed for Havertz.
In an ideal world, Havertz hits the ground running and matches his present output at Leverkusen if not much better it. In a more realistic world, Havertz may have some preliminary hiccups before adapting. There is no need to panic or get up in arms if he adapts slowly.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffered a 27% drop in his league output throughout his relocation from Germany to England across an 18-month period. Lets take this as a referral to produce sensible expectations.
In the past two seasons, Havertz has actually produced 20 and 18 objective contributions in the Bundesliga. Assuming a 30% drop, this roughly translates to 13-15 objective contributions in the Premier League. This must be the expectation for Havertz, with anymore than that being seen as a reward.
That may sound underwhelming initially, especially for a record signing, but Havertz is not being signed for merely one season. He is being signed to be the cornerstone of Chelseas task over the next half a decade and beyond.
At the same time, Havertz has flaws similar to every other young gamer does. We will need to be patient with him as he irons out these flaws and recognizes his capacity at Stamford Bridge. It might be annoying sometimes however it definitely will be worth the hassle.
Parallels might be drawn with how Bernardo Silva, another extremely rated young midfielder, was used moderately in his very first season in the Premier League before entering into his own in the second.
Picture by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Another point of interest is Havertzs shot selection. De Bruyne in 2012-13 balanced 2.6 key passes per 90 as opposed to Havertzs 2.16 this season. In the past two seasons, Havertz has produced 20 and 18 objective contributions in the Bundesliga. At the very same time, Havertz has defects just like every other young gamer does.
Havertzs propensity to pop up close to objective and capitalize on apparently harmless situations would have been a major attraction.
