Kai Havertz enjoying ‘very good moment’, says Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel admits Kai Havertz is close to undroppable on current form after two goals in four minutes helped sink Burnley in a 4-0 win for Chelsea on Saturday.

Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku started in the midweek FA Cup win over Luton, but it is Havertz who has been getting the nod in Chelsea’s biggest games of late, starting in the Champions League win over Lille and the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

The German also scored the decisive penalty in the Club World Cup final victory over Palmeiras.

While Lukaku’s form continues to come under scrutiny at Stamford Bridge, Havertz is making it difficult for the Belgian to get back into the side.

“He gives a lot of intensity and he’s involved in goals,” Tuchel said of Havertz. “He scored again, so it’s a very good moment and it’s on him to keep going. This is how it is.

“We played the last cup match without him, Timo was very strong and was very close to starting (on Saturday). Romelu got his goal and we will need everybody, but, at this moment, he’s in really good shape.”

Chelsea struggled to create clear chances in the first half at Turf Moor, but, after Reece James fired in the opener two minutes into the second, they sliced through Burnley at will, with Havertz making it 2-0 and then 3-0 with goals in the 52nd and 55th minutes.

“What he gives us is huge volume,” Tuchel added of the Germany international.

“He covers a lot of metres, he covers a lot of metres in high intensity, so he finds the intensity no matter what the system the opponent defends against us, he finds intensive runs, he finds distances. This is what makes him and he uses his body more and more.

“He loves to create overloads and half spaces and this is what he gives. It’s just his style of play,