Peter Crouch has criticised Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz after his poor display in the Champions League loss to Juventus on Wednesday.
The former Liverpool striker says that the ‘technically gifted’ Kai Havertz can look ‘lazy and laboured’ at times, comparing him to former Arsenal man Mesut Ozil.
Havertz returned to the starting XI after being left out for the match against Man City. But he found it difficult to create chances against the Italian side, who defended deeply.
He was also guilty of wasting a glorious chance late in the game when he headed over Ben Chilwell’s corner.
Speaking about the game, BT Sport pundit Crouch was critical of the midfielder’s performance and that of attacking partner Hakim Ziyech.
“I thought Ziyech and Havertz were very disappointing,” Crouch told BT Sport.
“I think Havertz reminds me of Ozil, he does things where it comes easy to him, and he looks technically brilliant, but he can also look lazy and laboured at times, and he can frustrate you, and I thought tonight they were frustrating.”
Crouch stated that Chelsea were missing Mason Mount, who was unavailable for the game through injury.
“He (Mount) has the same quality as those boys, but there’s more urgency.” He added
“Tactically, he gets back in. He potentially works harder – he looks like he works harder. I think that’s the difference.
“Allegri got it spot on tonight. They defended very well and made it difficult for Chelsea to break them down.”
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was also unimpressed with his side’s performance in the game, admitting that his team looked ‘slow and tired’.
“We’re all disappointed. It was the tough game we expected,” he said after the game.
“You have to play with zero mistakes in midfield and take risks at the right moment. To do this, you need to be in rhythm, sound decision-making.
“‘I didn’t feel us fresh today, mentally. We were in training yesterday. Today it was not like this. I don’t know why. If you need any proof, look at the two ball losses in the first half and the cheap goal we gave away”.
The Blues are back in action this weekend when they play Southampton in the Premier League.
