Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was pleased with the performance of Kai Havertz against Crystal Palace, but believes that the German needs to be more ruthless in front of goal.
The 21-year-old produced an impressive performance with a goal and an assist as the Blues went on to register a comfortable 4-1 league win at Selhurst Park.
However, Havertz could have quite easily got a hat-trick in the derby, and the Blues boss emphasised the same in the post-match press conference.
While he was pleased with Havertz’s showing, Tuchel said that there is room for improvement with his finishing, and he needs to be more ruthless with his chances.
He told Chelseafc.com: “He has quality. He needs to show his quality, it’s as easy as that. Kai will never be our emotional leader and we don’t expect that from him. We expect him to show his quality.
“He needs to be in high positions, either half positions or the number nine position. This is not a big difference for me.
“Honestly he needed to show he could do better, that was a personal challenge for him. He got a second chance to show up after Porto and he did that.
“There is still room to improve in finishing, he can be more ruthless, he should have scored more, but it was a good step and a good performance.”
Havertz has had a tough debut season with the Blues, and his goal against the Eagles was only his second in the league. He previously scored back in October.
The performance should boost his confidence going forward, and it remains to be seen whether he can cement his spot up front by finding consistency in his game.
Tuchel has made some shrewd decisions since his arrival in January, and he has not been shy of dropping players, if they don’t perform to the expected level.
There were plenty of positives from the derby win including Christian Pulisic, who got onto the scoresheet for the second league game running with a brace.
The USA international has had a tough campaign partly hampered by injuries, but he appears to be finding form at the right phase of the season.
The club jumped back into the fourth spot with the victory over the Eagles, but they could be leapfrogged by West Ham United if they beat Leicester City in today’s early kick-off.
The Blues will now shift their attention to the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Porto. They won the first leg on the road by a 2-0 scoreline.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
Read: ‘Simply too good’: Chelsea fans react to this attacker’s display vs Crystal Palace.
