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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has claimed that Kai Havertz can thrive as a central striker for Chelsea after they were held to a goalless draw by Leeds United on Saturday afternoon. The Blues enjoyed the lion’s share of both possession and chances but failed to break down the hosts, who saw a first-half strike from Tyler Roberts ruled out for offside.
Roberts also struck the crossbar before half-time, while Diego Llorente narrowly avoided an embarrassing contribution when he fired the ball off his own goal frame.
The result marked Chelsea’s tenth clean sheet in 12 matches, with Tuchel continuing to find success in defence with his three-at-the-back system.
Havertz was selected to start at the tip of Chelsea’s attacking trident, leading the line ahead of Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic.
The 21-year-old looked lively in the role and came close to opening the scoring on a number of occasions, but simply did not get the rub of the green.
He registered more shots on target than the entire Leeds side, but was ultimately unsuccessful in his efforts to find the back of the net in the Premier League for the first time since October.
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Despite this, Tuchel suggested after the final whistle that Havertz may continue to feature as a striker for the foreseeable future.
“He is pretty much a number nine because he likes to be high and not necessarily drop to 10 and turn,” the Chelsea boss told BT Sport.
“He loves to be high and arrive in the box. He loves to be there and have the last touch. This is for me why he played number nine today.”
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