Jermaine Beckford suggests Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was using Kai Havertz in the wrong position for large spells of last season.
TalkSPORT pundit Beckford is a big fan of the 23-year-old Blues star, but thinks his manager has used him incorrectly at times.
Havertz, who has spent two seasons at Stamford Bridge, is a versatile attacker that divides opinion.
The German forward was deployed in a false-nine position in the second half of the season, particularly when Romelu Lukaku was struggling for confidence and minutes on the pitch.
Havertz ended up with 14 goals and six assists across all competitions last season. There are still big question marks over his best position in the starting line-up, though.
Havertz position
Beckford is fairly adamant that the Chelsea ace shouldn’t be in the central striker role.
“With Kai Havertz, I’m a huge admirer of his. I don’t think he’s built to be a number nine. That’s not his natural position,” Beckford told talkSPORT.
“That’s not where we see the best of him. He works better when he’s working alongside somebody or as a number 10.”
As it stands, you’d have to say Havertz is the obvious choice to start through the centre of the attack next season. However, this may change if the Blues sign a striker to replace Romelu Lukaku following his exit on loan to Inter Milan.
There’s so much to love about Havertz’s game with his pace, strength, aggression and work rate. Most fans want to see him involved in Tuchel’s best line-up, too.
The challenge is for the Chelsea boss to find the right formula and role that can really allow Havertz to express his incredible footballing ability in the final third. Incidentally, Tuchel waxed lyrical about his quality during last season.
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