Exclusive: German football expert reveals best positions for Kai Havertz and Timo Werner

"Playing him as a CM doesn't work for me and I even think as a 10 it limits Kai"

The debates are well and truly under way now after two poor league performances from Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.

They were on a good run of form going 17 games unbeaten before Everton and Wolves both managed to win by a single goal in the last two matches to spark many questions.

A lot of them are regarding Chelsea’s two new German international signings, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, who have both struggled in the last few games.

You can debate about tiredness, and Havertz with his Covid-19 being bad, and a bunch of other things, but whilst we as fans must remain patient with the pair, you would hope to see improvements in the next few games at the least.

One thing that could help is playing them in positions they are more comfortable in, and we decided to draft in a German football expert to find out exactly where their best positions are.

Daniel Pinder is the Editor-in-Chief for Get German Football News, and he has been reporting on the Bundesliga for years, watching the Chelsea pair very closely before they arrived in the UK.

“Werner was often deployed as a CF under Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig, says Pinder.

“But their fluid attack would often see Timo play in a free role when playing alongside Yussuf Poulsen/Patrik Shick - allowing him to drop a little deeper or move to LW, but predominantly a CF.

“Timo's movement and finishing under Nagelsmann is world class and it worked at Leipzig, but for the German national team I think he struggles because of their structured approach in attack.”

At the moment for Chelsea he is just playing wide, and has to stick wide because of the formation. He could benefit from playing as part of a two up top, or more of an inside forward.

As for Havertz, Pinder has a surprising take on him.

“His performances improved immensely since the appointment of Peter Bosz in 2018, says Pinder.

“The team was built around him and he was key to their attacking output and although an attacking midfielder by trade, his contribution from the RW or even as a CF can't go unnoticed, and for me, that's where I think he plays his best football.

“Playing him as a CM doesn't work for me and I even think as a 10 it limits Kai, his movement is excellent and he's a very underrated finisher.

“I'm honestly impressed with him as a CF towards the end of last season.”

Havertz right now is largely playing as an 8 for Chelsea, which Pinder believes is too deep for him to thrive, which is an interesting comment.

Wherever they end up playing for Chelsea, it is so important that we get the best out of their abilities and profiles so they can build a strong confidence in the team.