The summer transfer window officially kicked off on the 27th July 2020 but no one would have predicted the speed at which Chelsea would go about their business. Chelsea have agreed to a deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz after activating his buyout clause. While a player in his position was not a priority by any means, the opportunity to sign the best young talent in world football with no real competition doesn’t come very often. This scout report will look to understand Havertz’s style of play and how he fits into Chelsea’s tactics. Through tactical analysis, using data and footage, we will determine how he can improve Chelsea’s attacking style of play.
Positioning & role
Havertz is a dynamic, quick, attacking midfielder capable of playing in multiple positions. His versatility is what makes him such a unique player especially since he is extremely consistent wherever he plays. A natural attacking midfielder, Havertz can play as a centre-forward, right-winger, and central midfielder. Bayer Leverkusen actively used the 4-2-3-1 formation (40%) with other systems such as the 4-4-2 and 3-4-2-1 were used sparingly (9% & 8%). Havertz was used across the three aforementioned positions but majorly at right-wing.
It’s hard to pinpoint Havertz’s exact role but he plays a hybrid of a playmaker and box-to-box role where he can link-up play but also attack the box with late runs by finding pockets of space. Even though the majority of his play time has come at right-wing his play style is dynamic and malleable enough to play those three positions well. His heat map is indicative of his preferred areas and what is most prominent is his preference to play in both the central and wide areas. We can also see activity in the 18-yard box which comes from his late runs when he plays in central midfield. Havertz has excellent timing and his runs into the box often result in him finding space to latch onto a cut-back or cross.
The skillset he has translates to the position he plays in and through this scout report, we will examine his skills and attributes and how they can be used in Chelsea’s tactics.
