Chelsea boss Potter jumps to defence of under-fire Kai Havertz

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has, on Sunday evening, moved to defend Blues frontman Kai Havertz.

German international Havertz, of course, has come in for heavy scrutiny on the part of the Chelsea fanbase across much of the season to date.

This comes as the 23-year-old continues to struggle in front of goal, amid a campaign to forget on the blue half of west London.

Despite continuing to act as the attacking spearhead in Graham Potter’s squad, Havertz, all told, has notched just five goals across 24 Premier League appearances.

With his all-round game too leaving a lot to be desired, and new owner Todd Boehly having made crystal clear that he is ready to wield the axe at Stamford Bridge at will, calls have begun to mount for Havertz to be moved on ahead of next season.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, a day on from the German again being subjected to heavy criticism for his showing against Leeds United, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of Havertz’s form was put to the aforementioned Graham Potter.

Himself under tremendous pressure at present, though, Chelsea’s boss was unsurprisingly keen to provide his backing to the club’s misfiring attacker:

“I think we have to attack better as a team and that’s my responsibility,” Potter began. “It’s too easy to zoom into individuals and blame them.

“It’s a collective, we have to create more, do better and that starts with me, helping the team get better chances more chances because then I don’t doubt the quality of the players.”

"It’s too easy to zoom into individuals and blame them."

Graham Potter backs Kai Havertz ahead of Dortmund clash.

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— Standard Sport (@standardsport) March 5, 2023