Havertz’s displacement of Lukaku perfectly encapsulates the redefinition of the number 9 role – tactical theory

Chelsea’s £97m summer investment in Romelu Lukaku was touted as the ‘final piece in the jigsaw’ to catapult Thomas Tuchel’s side towards a first league title in half a decade. But seven months into the season, the Belgian justifiably finds himself on the periphery of the Blues’ starting XI, exemplified by Tuchel’s decision to start Kai Havertz in last weekend’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool. Both Havertz and Lukaku, on paper, assume the same role of spearheading a front three in this Chelsea side. But their profiles couldn’t be less similar; the mercuriality and elegance of Havertz versus the brute strength and bundling power of Lukaku.

The broader elements of Lukaku’s struggles coincide with a distinguishable trend in the Premier League – out of the 23 top scorers in the division this season, only six are recognised as strikers. That figure, if compared to the 2011/12 season ten years ago, rises to 18 – an era characterised by the likes of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Didier Drogba. This fluctuation consequently raises a viable angle of examination – is the role of the ‘traditional’ number 9 in elite-level football gradually being redefined?

The following analysis assesses the tactical elements of why the more versatile Havertz appears to have flourished in Chelsea’s recent fixtures, exploring the demands and responsibilities of modern-day strikers at the elite level.

Fluidity in possession

Despite the agonising manner of last Sunday’s loss, Chelsea have certainly recaptured some of the principles that characterised their epic Champions League conquest last season. The only notable variable that has changed in this transition is the selection of the starting striker. What was somewhat ignored in the aforementioned ‘final piece in the jigsaw’ analogy is that Lukaku’s profile is much harder to fit into a flexible and modern, pressing team than some of his current teammates, and his signing has arguably sobered Chelsea’s development.

On the contrary, Havertz seems to perfectly embody the attacking fluidity and mobility that caused both Liverpool and Lille copious defensive issues. The German first displaced Lukaku in last midweek’s routine 2-0 victory over Lille in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea reverted to a more familiar 3-4-3 starting formation. Whilst it was not a vintage performance, there was notably more creation of superiority between the lines of pressure through rehearsed movements and rotation amongst the front three.

Whereas