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Of
the various factors that contributed to Frank Lampard’s demise at Chelsea,
his inability to get the best out of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz will go
down as one of the biggest.
The Germany internationals, two of the brightest young attackers in Europe,
were the headline additions in Chelsea's summer of spending, arriving at
Stamford Bridge for a combined cost of around £120m from RB Leipzig and
Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
In 35 Premier League appearances between them under Lampard, however, they
provided just five goals and six assists, their struggles intensifying as
the season wore on. Werner has not scored a Premier League goal since
November. Havertz's barren spell goes back even further.
Lampard's final Premier League game in charge, the 2-0 loss to Leicester at
the King Power Stadium last Tuesday, encapsulated the issues.
Havertz looked bereft of confidence on his return to the side, his only
contribution of note to earn a yellow card for a cynical foul on Harvey
Barnes, while Werner fared little better after emerging from the bench in
the second half, his poor fortunes summed up by the goal he saw disallowed
for offside.
Werner's unhappy run continued in Sunday's FA Cup fourth round win over
Luton Town. The meeting with Championship opposition looked an ideal
opportunity for the 24-year-old to rediscover his scoring touch but instead
it will be remembered for his missed penalty.
"When it's not going for you, it can happen," said Lampard afterwards. "I
missed penalties, I know the feeling. I know he will feel despondent, maybe
now and the last few minutes of the game. But he shouldn't be. There will be
a time when he takes penalties and hits the back of the net without thinking
about it."
Lampard, though, will be watching what happens next from the outside having
been sacked by Roman Abramovich less than 24 hours after those comments. The
42-year-old's replacement, Thomas Tuchel, is the man charged with reversing
Werner and Havertz's fortunes now.
Lampard was always adamant that Werner and Havertz simply needed time for
their luck to change and their form to improve. Hard work was the solution
offered; persistence and perseverance the only answers.
But they were not helped by the ways in which they were used.
During their first four months in England, the pair were deployed in a host
of different positions and in a number of different systems too. Lampard
never seemed sure of how exactly they fit into his side. He tinkered with
formations but they never looked comfortable.
Adapting to a new league and a new country always presents challenges for
young players but the added instability and uncertainty on the pitch at
Chelsea made a tough task even tougher for Werner and Havertz.
Chelsea will hope their countryman Tuchel will have a better idea of how to
get the best out of them and in Werner's case he would do well to heed the
words of Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, the striker's manager between
2016 and 2018 at RB Leipzig.
"I know Timo very well and I have seen him in situations where he was not
good," said Hasenhuttl last week. "Most of the time when I have seen this is
because of the reason that the game doesn't fit to him. The team didn't play
a way he can bring his best on the pitch, I think.
"He is definitely a player where you have to adapt your game to him. If you
do this, he will give you everything you need from a striker. The good thing
for him, I think at Leipzig when I was there, is we concentrated completely
on his qualities. Our quick transitions after winning the ball were perfect
[for him]."
Werner scored 42 goals in 77 appearances during those two seasons under
Hasenhuttl at RB Leipzig, thriving in a side built to force their opponents
into mistakes in possession then charge forward on the attack swiftly and
directly. In the first of those seasons, they scored more goals from fast
breaks (11) than any other Bundesliga side.
That number stands at just two at Chelsea this season, underlining the
differences between the two sides and helping to illustrate why Werner, in
particular, has not come close to matching his output in Germany.
While RB Leipzig's identity was clear, Lampard's Chelsea seemed to lack one.
The new signings should have strengthened them but quality alone will only
get you so far. Lampard couldn't find a formula to take Chelsea forward.
While Lampard's managerial philosophy remains fuzzy, even after 18 months in
charge of Chelsea, Tuchel's could hardly be clearer. The 47-year-old is a
disciple of Jurgen Klopp having succeeded him both at Mainz and at Borussia
Dortmund, where he adopted similar high-intensity, high-pressing tactics
with an emphasis on speed and efficiency.
"I prefer certain qualities," he once said. "An active playing style, bold
defending and pacy play in attack."
Tuchel struggled to instil those principles among the superstars at Paris
Saint-Germain but Abramovich has long craved an offensive playing style that
provides entertainment as well as results. The German will be tasked with
putting that in place at Stamford Bridge.
He must do it by putting Werner and Havertz at the centre of his plans.
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