Kai Havertz reveals Chelsea stars were baffled by Todd Boehly’s decision to sack Thomas Tuchel ‘out of the blue’ in September… leaving the struggling Blues with ‘our backs to the wall’
- Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea after just seven games in the current season
- Chelsea’s fortunes have not improved as the Blues are 12th in the league
Kai Havertz has revealed his surprise at Thomas Tuchel’s sacking earlier this season as he delivered a scathing judgment on Chelsea’s miserable campaign.
Bayern Munich boss Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea just seven games into the season at a time when they were sixth in the Premier League and had made a poor start in the Champions League.
Since then, the Blues have suspended Graham Potter and installed Frank Lampard until the end of the season.
Chelsea are twelfth in the league and fell out of the Champions League against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
Havertz, who has scored nine goals in 41 appearances this season, said he felt Tuchel’s dismissal ‘came out of nowhere’ and admitted it had been a tough season.
Kai Havertz has admitted that ‘everything went wrong’ for Chelsea in a miserable season
He has also expressed surprise at the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel, just seven games into the season
“Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for us this year,” Havertz told the German publication Kicker.
“The season has actually started relatively quietly. We had a change of ownership which was a big change for the club.
“And then Thomas Tuchel was sacked, which of course always makes a difference in a team like this when you’ve been successful with a coach and he’s sacked out of the blue.”
Chelsea have got off to a poor start under club legend Lampard, with five consecutive defeats putting them 12th in the table, and while relegation is not an issue they are just nine points clear of the bottom three.
Havertz added, “Now we have our backs against the wall and we don’t sit very well at the table.
‘Excuses are easy to find, of course. I am not in favor of blaming everything on something else. In the end we are all professional footballers and sometimes we have to win a match.’
Chelsea travel to the Emirates tonight to face Arsenal, who hope to return to the top of the Premier League with a win.
Haverz said he hopes to ‘annoy’ the Gunners in their quest to get themselves back on track after their damaging 4-1 defeat to Man City last week.
Chelsea’s season has not improved since Tuchel left the club in September, with the Blues now 12th in the Premier League after a poor start under Frank Lampard (right)
However, Havertz is hopeful that Chelsea can get back into shape and hamper Arsenal’s title chances
He said: “We hope to tease Arsenal a little bit. They’re in the title fight now, and that’s where we want to be. And if you can beat your opponent, it’s always good for the fans.’
Chelsea will be keen to make it to the end of the season and focus on next season, with The Blues likely to hire Mauricio Pochettino as their new permanent manager.
Chelsea co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly have discussed their next appointment in California amid reports that Pochettino will soon be offered the job.
He has been the front-runner since former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann pulled out over trial concerns, believing he was a shoo-in for the role.