Good stuff as always, Grace. From a Chelsea fan perspective, Havertz started as a puzzle and ended up a bit of a frustration. Clearly a good player and definitely not a lazy player but..... somehow plays as if he's holding back in some way. He was cruelly but I-get-it described as playing like he's working from home. Its interesting you mention Morata as he gave a bit of the same vibe: obvious talent but a bit semi detached (and, like Havertz, sometimes gives the impression of not really fancying it). I think the best I can do is say Havertz plays with an air of detachment which means, despite his gifts, he's never going to be the centrifugal force of any game. [Please write about Jackson; Werner is the anti-Havertz: gives everything but has poor technique. Once he loses his pace he will have very little to offer]
I think Werner and Havertz are good comparisons - both players who looked great in the wide open, no defending Bundesliga. But once they are in the PL you have to accept that they are quite simply not as good as you thought they were. Bundesliga tax is real, start applying it.
clubs in the bundesliga are (apparently) much more concerned about the fan experience/entertainment value of the sport. there seems to be an unwritten obligation to attack and put less emphasis on defending. So im not sure its about the league being worse as much as there are a different set of values....which brings me onto my next point, that there is perhaps a cultural issue at play here - anecdotal but i see much less defense of jadon sancho online that i do of Timo Werner and Havertz. also offline within my own vaguely liberal and middle class circles. German football has a set of values that align with a certain type of football fan hence there is more support of these players and a willingness for them to succeed. So maybe its not even that the bundesliga tax is not applied, but that there is some kind of unconscious 'rebate' applied to these players due to their ideological/cultural alignment with the hipster class.
There is a determination among the football hipster community to gas up German players well beyond their merit. The sort of person who lists Thomas Muller as their favourite player, who thought and still thinks that Timo Werner is a top player and will prove it to everyone soon. Kai Havertz is the latest obsession
Good stuff as always, Grace. From a Chelsea fan perspective, Havertz started as a puzzle and ended up a bit of a frustration. Clearly a good player and definitely not a lazy player but..... somehow plays as if he's holding back in some way. He was cruelly but I-get-it described as playing like he's working from home. Its interesting you mention Morata as he gave a bit of the same vibe: obvious talent but a bit semi detached (and, like Havertz, sometimes gives the impression of not really fancying it). I think the best I can do is say Havertz plays with an air of detachment which means, despite his gifts, he's never going to be the centrifugal force of any game. [Please write about Jackson; Werner is the anti-Havertz: gives everything but has poor technique. Once he loses his pace he will have very little to offer]
I think Werner and Havertz are good comparisons - both players who looked great in the wide open, no defending Bundesliga. But once they are in the PL you have to accept that they are quite simply not as good as you thought they were. Bundesliga tax is real, start applying it.
I wrote a whole article a few years ago about literally this! https://www.graceonfootball.com/p/is-the-bundesliga-tax-real
clubs in the bundesliga are (apparently) much more concerned about the fan experience/entertainment value of the sport. there seems to be an unwritten obligation to attack and put less emphasis on defending. So im not sure its about the league being worse as much as there are a different set of values....which brings me onto my next point, that there is perhaps a cultural issue at play here - anecdotal but i see much less defense of jadon sancho online that i do of Timo Werner and Havertz. also offline within my own vaguely liberal and middle class circles. German football has a set of values that align with a certain type of football fan hence there is more support of these players and a willingness for them to succeed. So maybe its not even that the bundesliga tax is not applied, but that there is some kind of unconscious 'rebate' applied to these players due to their ideological/cultural alignment with the hipster class.
There is a determination among the football hipster community to gas up German players well beyond their merit. The sort of person who lists Thomas Muller as their favourite player, who thought and still thinks that Timo Werner is a top player and will prove it to everyone soon. Kai Havertz is the latest obsession