Tuchel reflects on Havertz, Chelsea’s problems in the attack against Leeds United

Chelsea have not yet lost a game under Thomas Tuchel, which is great, but we also haven’t scored more than two goals in one game, which is not so good. Even more worrying, we scored less than two in eight of the twelve, including three 0-0 draws. The fact that we managed to create less than 1.0 xG against one of the most leaked defenses in the entire Premier League was especially surprising and shocking today.

Earlier this week, on Monday, it looked like we could have found a potential solution, or at least part of a solution, by deploying Kai Havertz at the center of the attack, either as a forward or a false 9 (depending on who you He asked). And it was a promising enough performance for Tuchel to run everyone else in the attack – and even added an extra player! – he kept Havertz as the de facto striker.

Unfortunately, Havertz missed the best chance of the game for Chelsea and, unlike Monday, was also unable to generate goal chances for others. The lack of goals was not entirely his, of course, but as the man who led the attack and had the most chances (he had 4 of our 15 shots in total, but also 4 of our 8 shots on target), the expectation it was certainly for him to convert.

Darren Walsh / Chelsea FC photo via Getty Images

This was part of the general disappointment at Elland Road, as Tuchel later reflected.

“It was pretty much the same role he played against Everton. Kai, I feel comfortable in high positions. I feel comfortable to fall in half spaces from the high position to perhaps turn, drive and use your speed. But he also arrives very naturally in the six-yard box. He’s comfortable with finishing our attacks.

“He can play as a 9 shirt, a midfielder or a winger. These are his positions and today we use him again as number 9. I am happy, but unfortunately he was unable to finish as he does in training and as his talent allows him to finish because we had enough chances and we created enough chances for him to be the decisive guy.

“He is comfortable in this position and I trust him.”

Havertz is not the only one who has failed to convert chances for Chelsea this season (and even last season). I would say it can be contagious, but it may be an inappropriate metaphor to use in the middle of a pandemic. Either way, Havertz joins the rest of the failed team, although in his case we can at least console himself with the fact that he finally seems fully recovered from his post-COVID injuries and malaise.

Lee Smith – Pool photo / Getty Images

Meanwhile, Tuchel continues to seek balance. He seemed to have risked weighing in on today’s attack, which was not worth it, and in fact we had Édouard Mendy’s strong hands to thank at least one point. But as a coach, you can’t just use the final score to make decisions.

“It will always be a team effort to attack and it will always be a team effort to defend.

“We have to admit that we put a lot of pressure on the field, that our attackers never stopped working, that our front line never stopped to put intensity and back pressure. So, do they always arrive in the coolest moments? No, they don’t want to. of course not in a game like an opponent like Leeds.

“And I still believe that we have the quality to use the chances better, to use the moments of half chances and counter attacks better, to create more and be more clinical. But it remains our responsibility, my responsibility to create more and maybe have more chances, but if we win this game with one or two goals we would talk about it in a totally different way and we will continue to focus on performance ”.

-Thomas Tuchel; source: Football.London

And so, the search continues.