By Nathaniel Kay

'Might be time': Some Chelsea fans eager for 22-year-old to start in a different position vs Malmo

Chelsea supporters on social media urged Thomas Tuchel to start Kai Havertz as a false nine against Malmo in the Champions League tomorrow.

Havertz made something of a habit playing in that position towards the tail-end of last season.

Tuchel often overlooked the traditional centre-forwards in the squad – Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham – and instead deployed a more fluid front three.

This generally meant Havertz or Timo Werner started through the middle, flanked by two other attacking outlets.

Although Chelsea decided to dump Abraham and Giroud in the summer, they did sign a new no.9 in the shape of Romelu Lukaku.

With a permanent striker now officially installed, Tuchel hasn’t needed Havertz to plug the central gap.

Yet, with Lukaku currently goalless in six club matches, Chelsea fans felt the young German deserved to be unleashed up top versus Malmo.

Here’s how they reacted on Twitter:

Kai to come up with the good

Whilst Lukaku’s scoring struggles have been well documented, Havertz could do with grabbing a few himself.

He has only netted once for Chelsea since the Champions League final.

Admittedly, that particular strike in Porto earned the 22-year-old endless amount of credit where the Stamford Bridge crowd are concerned.

However, for the player’s personal development, contributing more in the final third must be high on the agenda.

Tuchel’s team not always on target

Of course, Malmo should not be underestimated, but Wednesday’s European fixture provides Havertz with a great chance to fill his boots.

A few other Chelsea stars would benefit from rippling the net as well.

Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi haven’t scored this year.

Hakim Ziyech’s only goal of the campaign arrived in the UEFA Super Cup final.

Hitting the Swedish side for six might just do certain members of the Blues camp a world of good.

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Nathaniel Kay

Nathaniel is a football journalist who graduated from the University of Derby. He has worked at Burton Albion as part of their media team for two years. Nathaniel produces regular articles for the club’s official website and match-day programme. He covered the 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup in Brittany and has reported from grounds ranging from non-league up to the Premier League.