Kai Havertz was dropped from the Chelsea starting line-up on Saturday afternoon but the German responded in the perfect way to Thomas Tuchel's decision.
Havertz went into the match without a goal in five Premier League appearances and his performances were attracting attention for all of the wrong reasons. The Germany international had lost all confidence in front of goal and looked a shadow of the player we all know he can be when he is firing.
In the 23-year-old's time at Stamford Bridge, his problem has always been putting a run of matches together where he is putting 8/10 performances in. There was one point last season – throughout March and then into the start of April – where he kept finding the back of the net and he was showcasing why Chelsea paid north of £70million for his services in 2020.
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On Saturday afternoon, Havertz was on hand to score what turned out to be the winning goal of the game as Chelsea beat West Ham United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. A fine cross from Ben Chilwell was struck home on the volley by Havertz in what was an accomplished and confident finish.
It must have been met with a huge sigh of relief from the German forward, who finally opened his account for the season. That's great, but now is where he really needs to start proving himself.
Kick on from here. Prove why you can be Chelsea's focal point for years to come – because now you have perhaps the biggest competition than you've had at Stamford Bridge.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to begin training next week once he gets his mask fitted. The 33-year-old striker, who signed on deadline day from Barcelona, is currently suffering with a broken jaw, but once he is fit enough to play, it could either see Havertz drop out of the side or forced into a position change.
Consistency is needed for Havertz. He'll tell you that himself. In fact, he referenced it earlier this year.
"Consistency in football is big," Havertz explained earlier this year. "We play every three days and have to always keep the level high.
"It’s normal that for one game, you drop the level. It’s not possible to score five goals in every game. Consistency is big and I try to work on that."
It's up for the German to answer his own call in what is a defining season for his Chelsea career. The talent is there, but consistency levels is what sets apart the elite players from the talented players.
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