Kai Havertz says Thomas Tuchel’s sack as Chelsea boss ‘came out of nowhere’ and has also questioned the decision to create a ‘giant squad’.
They have endured a difficult season and currently sit in 12th place in the table – level on points with Bournemouth – and have netted only 30 goals in 32 Premier League games, making them the joint-fourth lowest scorers in the division.
They are now on their fourth different coach – with Tuchel followed by Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and now Lampard – and Havertz has suggested off-field decisions have played a role in Chelsea’s predicament, though accepts the players could have done more.
‘Everything that could go wrong went wrong for us this year,’ Havertz – who previously said he would be keen to reunite with Tuchel – told Sky Germany.
‘The season actually started relatively quietly even though we had a change of ownership, which was a big change for the whole club.
‘And then Thomas Tuchel was fired, which of course always makes a big difference in a team like this when you’ve been successful with a coach and then he gets fired out of nowhere.’
After a ‘good phase’ under Potter, Havertz says Chelsea ‘didn’t play very well and lost a lot of points’ after the World Cup, with January’s transfer splurge creating a ‘giant squad’ that was a hindrance rather than a help.
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He explained: ‘We got a lot of new players over the winter who first have to settle in with us in order to be able to show their quality.
‘Of course it’s easy to find excuses. I’m not blaming everything on something. ‘At the end of the day, we’re all professional footballers and we have to win football games.
‘Now we have our backs to the wall and aren’t doing very well in the table. We just have to do as well as possible from the last six games.’
On Tuesday, Chelsea travel to the Emirates looking to arrest a run of five straight defeats under Lampard and Havertz claims the players are eager to thwart Arsenal’s title charge.
‘It’s a London derby, so hopefully we can get the fans on our side again,’ he continued.
‘We hope to tease Arsenal a little bit. They’re in the title fight now, which is where we want to be. And if you can beat your rivals, that’s always good for the fans.’
