Chelsea manager Graham Potter said Kai Havertz has reaped rewards for all the hard work he did during the difficult period as he spoke about the forward’s recent performance.
After a seven-game goalless streak, the 23-year-old has now scored in the last two games.
But not only that, however, his exceptional performance in these two games also showed that the much-criticised fluid, striker-less football Chelsea are trying to play under Potter can actually work.
Is it simply because Havertz and the other players now understand each other better?
This likely helped, but Potter said for a player of Havertz’s calibre, it was always a matter of time.
“He’s in a really good place,” the manager told Chelsea TV when speaking about the Germany international.
“Throughout the difficult period, he’s given everything.
“Then you know, when you’ve got Kai’s qualities, you do that, and things turn around for you — that’s what it’s done for him.
“It’s a reward for his hard work, I would say, but the team spirit is developing nicely.”
Obviously, six Premier League goals are still an underwhelming record for a first-choice striker at Chelsea.
But he still leads the club’s goalscoring chart, which suggests that it is not an individual problem.
Bringing in a reliable striker may still be the way to go for Chelsea going forward, but for the remainder of the season, Havertz is their best hope.
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