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.
What has Havertz said?
"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.
Next Match
"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."
The bigger picture
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.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)