Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz admitted his first months at Chelsea "were difficult" but said his play in a 2-0 win over Everton on Monday could provoke a strong finish to the campaign that silences his doubters.
Playing as a false nine against the Toffees, the summer transfer from Bayer Leverkusen won a penalty, forced an own goal with a deflected shot and had a would-be goal ruled out by VAR in one of his best Blues performances to date.
Such a complete effort should be the standard rather than the exception, Havertz said, as "it's time to perform" after getting seven months to settle in.
"It is difficult to say [if it is my best performance for Chelsea] but the first few months were difficult for me," Havertz told The 5th Stand. "I hope that I will get a lot of confidence now and carry on like this.
"Of course, it wasn't easy to come here where everything was new. I have been here for seven months now though, so now it is time to perform.
"I know that in myself, I know many people have doubts about me. I just keep on going and working, trying to help my team in every training session and game. That's the most important. I hope this performance will give me a lot of confidence. I hope to continue like this."
It seems most of what ailed Chelsea in the early months of the 2020-21 campaign has been cured since Thomas Tuchel took charge in January, with Havertz's improvement just one example of a larger trend.
Timo Werner and Marcos Alonso are among the other Blues players to have surged over a nine-game league unbeaten run.
Havertz, though, is a special force in that he lifts everyone around him when playing his best silky link-up play. If he truly is ready to perform consistently, it would be a game-changer for his side's top four hopes.
