Chelsea paid around £71 million for attacking midfielder Kai Havertz this summer but against Liverpool, Frank Lampard chose to use him as a centre-forward.
And as soon as Christensen was sent off for tackling Sadio Mane, the Blues boss had no other option but to sacrifice the German international.
This decision to use Kai Havertz upfront has come as a shock to a lot of people and Jamie Redknapp has urged Frank Lampard to use to the youngster as a No 10 in the future games.
“You’ve got to give Havertz time. We have to be careful. We’re judging a player. You’ve got (Christian) Pulisic and (Hakim) Ziyech to come in (as well),” Redknapp told Sky Sports, as reported.
“I think Havertz is a number 10. With the three they played in midfield today, you need a bit more craft.
“Are we sitting here and questioning Havertz, he’s been here two minutes?”
Kai Havertz also looked very muted during the first half of the match which has given an indication that he is going to take time to adjust to life in England.
And according to Ashley Cole, the fans and the coaching staff will have to be patient with the 21-year-old.
He’s a very, very high quality player,” Cole said, as quoted by Football London.
“It was his first game against Brighton where he had just two days of training with the team, so it’s tough.
“He’s just finding his feet, getting into the team, understanding the way Frank wants to play, but we’re definitely going to see great things from this guy because he’s such a great talent.”
Last season, Kai Havertz played most of his games for Bayer Leverkusen in that attacking midfielder’s role and we are pretty sure that Lampard also sees him the same light.
But until the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic get back to full fitness, the manager will be trying to slot Havertz somewhere in the final third of the pitch.
