https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2021/11/19/
tuchel-on-what-havertz-needs-to-flourish-and-why-gallagher-won-t
Tuchel on what Havertz needs to flourish and why Gallagher won't be
recalled in January
19 Nov 2021
After watching Kai Havertz score in back-to-back games for club and
country, Thomas Tuchel believes his compatriot is making steady progress
in his second season as a Chelsea player.
https://i.imgur.com/62kCqe1.jpg
The forward notched our only goal in the 1-1 draw with Burnley before the
international break pause with a precise header and then followed that up
with the opener for Germany in their 4-1 World Cup qualifying win in
Armenia last weekend.
It took his tally for the season so far to six as he enjoys a particularly
productive period in front of goal during which he has netted five times
in his last nine outings.
In between those last two goalscoring games, Havertz missed Die
Mannschaft's big 9-0 victory over Liechtenstein after suffering the
effects from a painful fall over the advertising hoardings at Stamford
Bridge in the Burnley game, though Tuchel indicated prior to the trip to
Leicester City that the German was fully fit and ready for action.
'He missed it [the Liechtenstein game] because of the injury he got
against Burnley when he was pushed over and into the spectators,' said the
boss.
'He suffered from that but he played the second match. He's in a good
mindset and physically well so if nothing happens later in training, he's
ready to go.'
The Blues have one final session before heading to the East Midlands for
Saturday's lunchtime kick-off, with Timo Werner expected to take part in
that following his return to team training on Thursday.
Yet our contest with the Foxes may come too soon for the striker to start,
and with Romelu Lukaku also still sidelined, Havertz could well continue
to spearhead the attack for the league leaders at the King Power Stadium.
In assessing his overall development in the 14 months since he arrived
from Bayer Leverkusen, Tuchel believes Havertz remains firmly on the right
track and that affording him time will result in the 22-year-old
continuing to flourish in south-west London.
'He will continue because he has a good character and attitude,' explained
Tuchel. 'He took the right step to challenge himself in the Premier League
and at a club like Chelsea. It's exactly the right choice to bring out the
best in him.
https://i.imgur.com/RmdPneY.jpg
Havertz netted Germany's opener against Armenia last weekend
'It simply needs its time. Grass does not grow faster if you pull it; it
takes its time and he is still young. He's very ambitious so of course we
want the best of him tomorrow and the day after tomorrow but at the same
time he's only 22 so maybe there are some years to come for him.
'If he stays and fights for it like he does now, to adapt to the Premier
League and to adapt to his positions, then there will be goals and assists
under his belt for sure.'
Another young Chelsea midfielder among the Premier League goals in recent
weeks has been Conor Gallagher, the on-loan graduate from our Cobham
academy who made his senior England debut earlier this week.
The 21-year-old worked closely with Tuchel during pre-season, impressing
the German with his attitude and application, an impact that has continued
since his loan move to Crystal Palace where he has four goals and two
assists in 11 league games to date. Gallagher's emergence as an England
international may have been unexpected but Tuchel always anticipated he
could make a big difference this season.
'I'm not surprised that the national coach loves him because I loved him
from day one,' he continued. 'There cannot be a coach who doesn't love
guys like this - humble, nice, a smile on his face and all the time ready
to give everything to learn and improve.
https://i.imgur.com/XEyrQe8.jpg
Gallagher has impressed at Selhurst Park in the opening three months of
the season
'As a team-mate I would have loved to have played with him because he's a
helper, he starts on minute one and he finishes maybe in the shower. That
is the earliest moment when he stops running and stealing balls!'
However, Tuchel insists that there is no desire for Chelsea to disrupt the
momentum of their latest club-produced protege by bringing him back to
Stamford Bridge in January.
'It's way too early to talk about it in public before we talk with Conor
himself about what he wants and what his goals are,' added the boss. 'That
will happen in the summer because we all agreed to the decision that he
wanted to join Crystal Palace and Patrick Vieira's team.
https://i.imgur.com/irwZRHE.jpg
'He saw this possibility for him and we had these talks before. I have not
thought about bringing him back earlier because I think it's important for
him to be happy where he is and for him now to stay in the moment.
'It's important to be calm in this stage of his career. I feel him happy
there and it's good he had this impact at Crystal Palace but now it's
about consistency. He had a game for the national team and you have to
process all these things but right now I don't think it's necessary to
change everything again for him in the winter.'