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Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz says Chelsea can prove their doubters and critics wrong by enjoying success on the Champions League stage this season.
The Blues have been floundering badly in the Premier League this term, where they are loitering in the division’s mid-section, while Chelsea have also had to contend with early exits from both the Carabao and FA Cups.
However, despite their domestic underperformance, Havertz has been bullish about his club’s chances of winning the Champions League, just two years after the Londoners upset the odds to land the trophy in 2021 thanks to a winning goal from the German in the final against Man City.
Havertz says ‘tournament team’ Chelsea can win
Speaking with UEFA’s Champions League magazine show ahead of Chelsea’s Round of 16 first-leg tie against Borussia Dortmund in his homeland, Havertz said:
“When a new coach comes in, in the middle of the season, there’s been many changes in the club, a new owner, new players, it’s a completely different situation.
“I think everything needs time to settle in. Of course, our goal still remains reaching the top four, but I think everybody knows that we’re not satisfied and that Chelsea’s expectations before the season were different. We’re here to win titles and that goes for every year.
“A season like this isn’t easy for us at all. We’ll now focus on the Champions League because we know we’re a ‘tournament team’ and that we’re able to achieve great things this season there.
“The Champions League is special, you never know what is going to happen. We were in 10th place in the Premier League when we changed manager in 2020/21 and suddenly we played the Champions League final. It all happens very quickly, so you don’t know what will happen.
“I think this game [vs Dortmund] will be an amazing match and both teams have good chances to go through. Therefore I am keen to see how it turns out.”
Havertz to meet old friends in Germany
Havertz spent the early parts of his career plying his trade in the German Bundesliga before he moved to Chelsea in 2020, and he will line up against his close friend Julian Brandt at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday evening.
Speaking about Brandt, Havertz said: “Julian is also quite an introverted guy, which means he’s unlikely to approach people of his own accord and needs time to feel at ease around people.
“That’s the way it was with me, too. Neither of us are the type who go out and get to know people right away. Rather, we grew closer over the course of a year.
“We are both players who have the same idea of how to play the game, which helps us to understand one another on the pitch because we both have similar ideas about football. And then there’s the friendship aspect, too, and if that works then the understanding on the pitch is probably all the better. That’s the way it was with us two.
“We got on well on and off the pitch, so personally I enjoy looking back on that time. It was a great time and I think it helped both of us significantly in terms of our development.”
Chelsea will hope to take a positive result back to Stamford Bridge for the tie’s return leg on March 7th.
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