A handful of injuries allowed Frank Lampard to hand Kai Havertz his full Chelsea debut perhaps earlier than expected, but it went about as expected.
Chelsea fans were excited for the long awaited debut of German wunderkind, Kai Havertz, and were treated to it earlier than anticipated. The 21-year-old’s debut was less than exciting, but there’s still no cause for panic.
The actual fee Chelsea paid for the services of Havertz is still being speculated, but one thing is for sure: he’s the most expensive German player in history. Naturally, fans were watching with bated breath to see how the starlet would hold his own against Premier League opposition. He had a quiet, unimpressive night to the displeasure of many fans. However, underwhelming is how his debut should have been expected.
Many things could explain Havertz’s performance against Brighton, but it doesn’t really need an explanation. That was the German international’s first match since arriving at Stamford Bridge. He has been training, but he hadn’t actually played a match yet. Brighton was very disciplined on the night, it flatters Frank Lampard that the Blues ran out 3-1 winners.
Further, the Brighton game was the type of game Havertz would have benefited more from if he had played in the midfield. He would have had more touches, and he would have had a better opportunity to acclimatize himself with the new league. Instead, he was deployed on the right wing, often one of the Chelsea players lining up furthest forward.
It should be noted that the best place for a player that has no match fitness, in a system like Lampard’s, is higher up the pitch. However, playing in midfield might have seen Havertz get into the game faster. Playing as the right winger meant that he was often dependent on receiving a final pass or a long ball, rather than distributing them. It also didn’t help that Chelsea was pinned back for much of the game—as well as stretched wide—thanks to former Chelsea player, Tariq Lamptey. Lamptey’s speed and overlapping runs caused a lot of problems down Chelsea’s left.
This also means that most of the Blues’ attacks went down their left side because that’s where they had the space necessary to go forward. Thus, Havertz found himself isolated quite often. The few touches the youngster did get saw him do nothing worthwhile with it and he often lost the ball.
That being said, all of this fine. Havertz is 21, and while he is definitely talented, he should not be expected to light up the Premier League on the first day. Anyone who expected this needs to get their head checked—seriously. The gap between the Premier League and the Bundesliga is not small. Havertz, as well as any other signing, is always going to need some time to adjust to a different league, a different set of teammates and a different set of demands.
Chelsea fans have always been ones to overreact—this is no different. Don’t let anyone convince you that Havertz’s debut performance is an indication that he will be a flop or that Chelsea is on the receiving end of poor transfer business. A talented player lighting up the Premier League on his debut is an exception, not the norm.