Chelsea made a number of big signings in the summer, and some of them have adapted quicker than others.
But as Chelsea continue to come up with good results on the pitch and confidence grows, some of these players are starting to show real signs of exactly what they can do under Thomas Tuchel.
What is the latest on Chelsea’s centre back situation? Potential new deals for Antonio Ruidger and Andreas Christensen? Interest in Kurt Zouma? Get the latest report here.
Timo Werner is still missing too many chances, but his performances have been reasonable. Kai Havertz took a while to settle in as well, but in the last match against Everton, he really announced himself on the scene.
The German international earned himself a man of the match performance playing in the false 9 position, and his form is exciting former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin.
Nevin now reports on Chelsea games for The 5th Stand App, and he was watching the Everton game closely.
There is one partnership that he believes will be ‘frightening’ for opponents when in full flow – Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, as he revealed on the Chelsea website.
“It is impossible at this point to ignore the effect Kai Havertz had on the game against Everton.” Nevin said.
“He looked like a different player, probably because to some degree, he is a different player.
“The confidence was there, the power that you need at the top level in England was there, though I reckon there is still plenty more to come in that department. It didn’t look like one of those one-off performances that any player can have.
“Against Barnsley, when he scored his hat-trick, it still looked like an indication of, as much as an arrival at, his destination. This time it looks more like the real deal.
“His numbers aren’t bad (15 starts and five goals) but he knows himself that he can and will now do much better.
“It wasn’t just his intelligent play and dangerous movement, though he was unlucky not to be credited with a goal, won a penalty and some would say was unfairly adjudged to have handled the ball before ‘scoring’ in the second half. It was all the other stuff – the pace with the ball at his feet, the ability and willingness to win it back high up the field.
“The thought of him and Mason Mount together harrying opponents in that area is frightening.”
