Coach Frank Lampard, explained the decision to remove Chelsea’s top scorer this season – Kai Havertz for the match against Real Madrid.
Chelsea’s recent series of bad games led to the sacking of Graham Potter, Kai Havertz was a rare bright spot for the Blues from the beginning of the season. He leads the Blues’ goalscoring list this season with 7 goals in the Premier League and 2 goals in the Champions League.
Chelsea will have a trip to Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League 2022/23, coach Frank Lampard has used a 3-5-2 formation with Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix in attack, while Kai Havertz has to reserve seat.
When asked about the squad selection and the decision to drop Havertz, Lampard told BT Sport: “I think we have to strike a balance with Real Madrid’s midfield, which has three world-class players in the team. there. When you have five options in the midfield, you can’t have too many options in attack.”
“I think we need people with speed and good counter-attacking, that’s why I picked Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix. It’s not an easy choice for me, it’s difficult to put the likes of Kai Havertz or Mykhailo Mudryk on the bench, but I will have to make the best decision for the club.”
In the match against Real Madrid, Kai Havertz came on in the 65th minute, replacing Raheem Sterling. Chelsea did not play well in this match and received a 0-2 defeat. This result puts Lampard’s side at a big disadvantage before the second leg at home.