Havertz rues small margins
05 APR 2023
‘Frustration’ was the key word used by Kai Havertz to sum up our goalless home draw with Liverpool, a game that saw two Chelsea goals ruled out by VAR.
The Blues began the post-Graham Potter era with a point against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds at Stamford Bridge, in a game that Chelsea edged but ultimately were unable to win despite a positive display.
Reece James and Havertz both saw strikes ruled out by VAR, with Kai’s in particular enraging the passionate crowd inside Stamford Bridge after the ball rebounded off Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and onto the German’s arm before crossing the line despite him not knowing much about it.
Those fine margins were, in Kai’s opinion, the difference between turning a solid Chelsea performance into a good one that would have secured all three points.
‘It was a frustrating game for us,’ Havertz said post-match. ‘I don’t think it was our best performance, it was a game that didn’t have lots of quality compared to recent years when we’ve played Liverpool and of course we want to win our games at home, so that’s frustrating also.
‘We had some good chances to score, myself included, but football is all about putting the ball in the back of the net and we didn’t do that.
‘It’s about small margins and we’ve had two goals ruled out by VAR, which maybe on another day go in our favour and we get the three points.
‘Seeing the goal disallowed is of course not a great feeling but these things happen. I want to score, as everyone does on the pitch, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to and that’s frustrating.’
The Blues were led by interim head coach Bruno Saltor, who took charge for the first time following the dismissal of Graham Potter on Sunday evening.
Havertz paid a personal tribute to Potter and insists now is the time for everyone to rally behind Bruno and the remaining coaching staff while the search for a new head coach.
‘It’s been a difficult few days with lots of change,’ added Kai. ‘All of us thought highly of Graham and we know he is a really good coach, and we must take responsibility as players for our part because we haven’t delivered the results this season that people would probably have expected from us.
‘The owners decided to make a change that they think is best for the club and we have to respect that and work hard to improve and move up the table.
‘It’s not an easy situation to deal with but we have to work hard with the coaching staff who are still here and try to improve, as we still have lots of games and points to play for this season.’
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Fofana: We must stick together and play for the badge
05 APR 2023
Wesley Fofana has reflected on a tough couple of days for the Chelsea players leading up to last night's draw with Liverpool, while revealing interim head coach Bruno Saltor's message to the players before the match.
Another goalless draw between the sides last night ensured the historic fixture became just the third ever between two English top-flight sides to finish goalless four times consecutively.
The Blues were the dominant side, in truth, and had plenty of chances to take the lead through Mateo Kovacic and Joao Felix. Chelsea also had two goals ruled out by VAR, one for a narrow offside and another for hand ball.
After the contest, defender Wes Fofana offered the verdict from inside the dressing room as he returned to the starting XI.
'I feel good, I got a good feeling personally but no victory is a little difficult to take. We are staying focused for the next game, because it comes quickly this weekend at Wolverhampton,' Wes said.
'It is a diplomatic and historic game [against the Reds]. It is very intense and it was a good game last night for the fans. I am happy because I love football for games like these,' Wes added.
He also reflected on a tough 48 hours for the players leading up to the battle with Jurgen Klopp's side.
'It's complicated and has been difficult for the players and the club as a whole. This situation is not perfect to prepare for a game. It is the situation now, so the staff and players have to work hard and keep pushing. The team just want to win!
'The message [from Bruno] was to play for the club, play for Chelsea. He said play together and play with your heart. I think this is a good message, all the players gave everything on the pitch but no victory.'
Good to see this man back out there. 💪 pic.twitter.com/sQERlQi7Se
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 5, 2023
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