Kai Havertz has suggested that Thomas Tuchel’s dismissal as Chelsea manager ‘came out of nowhere’ and has questioned the decision to create such a ‘giant squad’. The Blues have endured a difficult season and currently sit in 12th place in the table, with Havertz suggesting off-field decisions have played a role in Chelsea’s malaise. He said: ‘Everything that could go wrong went wrong for us this year. The season actually started relatively quietly even though we had a change of ownership, which was a big change for the whole club. And then Thomas Tuchel was fired, which of course always makes a big difference in a team like this when you’ve been successful with a coach and then he gets fired out of nowhere.’
Havertz believes that the January transfer splurge created a ‘giant squad’ that was a hindrance rather than a help. He added: ‘We got a lot of new players over the winter who first have to settle in with us in order to be able to show their quality. Of course it’s easy to find excuses. I’m not blaming everything on something. At the end of the day, we’re all professional footballers and we have to win football games.’
On Tuesday night, Chelsea travel to the Emirates looking to arrest a run of five straight defeats under Frank Lampard and Havertz says the players are eager to try and thwart Arsenal’s title charge. He said: ‘It’s a London derby, so hopefully we can get the fans on our side again. We hope to tease Arsenal a little bit. They’re in the title fight now, which is where we want to be. And if you can beat your rivals, that’s always good for the fans.’