Saturday saw an unfortunate pattern continue for Kai Havertz and Chelsea FC. The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat in their visit to Everton FC today, continuing their woes against sides in the top half of the table.
For Havertz, who started the game on the right flank, he was so ineffective that he got subbed off in the 68′ for Tammy Abraham. In nine appearances, all but one in the starting lineup this season, Havertz has scored just one goal and managed only one assist.
https://twitter.com/hassan_rubbani/status/1337878620761698305
Havertz broke the club transfer fee record when he signed from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. He’s also now the most expensive German player of all time, so needless to say, Roman Abramovich is just not getting return on investment here. (Havertz is not the only Chelsea forward having a really tough season who was also the most expensive player to come out of his country)
Of course, it’s still very early, and an adjustment period, of some sort, comes with the territory. Havertz also contracted COVID-19, and although the virus didn’t hit him too hard, he still had to train by himself for weeks, and that left him out of the flow with the rest of the side.
Havertz needed time to get back up to match fitness after that, and it’s slowed his season to be sure. Today’s issues with the side go far beyond the German international, to be sure. They had an astounding 72% possession, but only managed three shots on goal.
While Havertz himself isn’t living up to expectations, it’s not all his fault that the Blues were so utterly wasteful with possession today.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.