Thomas Tuchel was delighted with the ‘quality’ performance of Kai Havertz in Chelsea’s 4-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace but admitted the Germany international should have scored more.
Tuchel’s success so far has largely been built on defensive stability but his side were an irresistible attacking force at times as they swept Palace away.
The impressive Havertz put the Blues in front with a cool finish, before a blast from Christian Pulisic and Kurt Zouma header ensured Chelsea were in total control by half-time.
Christian Benteke pulled one back just after the hour mark but Pulisic added a second to complete the rout 12 minutes from time.
Havertz had plenty of opportunities to add to his tally but Tuchel wants him to ‘improve his hunger and desire’ as well as find his shooting boots.
‘Clearly we had many chances today,’ Tuchel told Sky Sports. ‘The guys were hungry and creative. We had a lot of good runs and good movement. We put pressure on ourselves to have the right response. It was a step in the right direction.
‘I am not disappointed [with Kai Havertz] but he could have actually scored more. He had two big chances to finish the game off. This is the way.
‘He has absolute quality. He needs to show his quality and that is the challenge for him.
He added to Match of the Day: ‘He can still improve his hunger and determination. He has outstanding quality.
‘He’s not the leader of this team and he doesn’t have to be. He had excellent runs and he could’ve scored more.
‘It’s still a matter of position on timing and decision making in the box, which will give the boys a lot of confidence to score in away games.
‘We have the feeling we could’ve scored more but we deserved that and that’s a nice feeling for our self-confidence.’
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