Chelsea at Newcastle: Three lessons learnt in tough contest
By Tan Yi Hao
2. Romelu Lukaku cannot come back soon enough
In line with the theme of a disjointed attack, this writer posits that Lukaku has to be reinstated back into the starting XI as soon as he is fit again. Against Newcastle, Havertz did in fact display moments of good hold-up play and did win his side a penalty late on in the game. However, it is undeniable that Havertz does not have the required presence in the box that Lukaku offers. There were occasions in the first half when Chelsea’s wide players put in decent crosses into the box which were ultimately not capitalised upon. Perhaps most notable was when James put in a fantastic low driven cross into the box midway through the first half, only for Havertz to miss the ball completely. In a game where the style of play that Newcastle employs would inevitably result in a limited number of chances for opposition forwards, Havertz’s lack of clinicality could have proven costly on another day.
On a related note, it is interesting to consider the exact role that would best accommodate Havertz’s unique, all-rounded skill set. When coming up against the physical centerbacks of the Magpies, it is evident that Havertz does not possess the strength to serve as an effective target man. It is not a coincidence that Havertz’s best moments in the match came after James’ opener, where the opening up of the game resulted in greater amount of space in behind the Newcastle defence, which Havertz duly exploited with his intelligent runs.
Harking back to this writer’s desire to see Lukaku back in the starting XI as soon as possible, this writer firmly believes that the Belgian’s presence on the pitch can lift the burden of being an out-and-out centre forward off Havertz. This would, in turn, provide the German with the freedom to make the incisive runs in behind an opposition’s defense, which Havertz has shown an incredible proficiency for. Until such a time arrives though, Havertz will simply have to continue making the best out of the current situation.