Kai Havertz probably was not intending to channel the thoughts of the wider footballing world. But, as he surveyed the Chelsea squad, he said: “We have so many players.” Too many, indisputably, and not least for Graham Potter. If Chelsea’s form in autumn and winter meant he had too few automatic choices, the sheer scale of the recruitment drive often meant he had too many options. A revolving door of selection and revolting results proved a worrying combination.
A corner may now have been turned. “To win three games in a row is important for us because we had a tough time before that,” Havertz said. It is the best week of Potter’s reign, the second best run since Clearlake Capital’s takeover. It has been a season that is part transition, part transformation, part exercise in getting to know everyone else’s name. Now there is a hint of a formula.
