Kai takes up mantle of Ballack with style
MICHAeL Ballack was the glittering star within Bayer Leverkusen’s firmament when they last had cause to visit Glasgow.
It was an evening that proved to be his painful swansong in their red-and-black colours. Not even Ballack, for all his midfield brilliance, could prevent defeat to Real Madrid and that Zinedine Zidane goal in the 2002 Champions League final at Hampden. The tears didn’t sting for long. A summer move to Bayern Munich enabled Ballack to scale new heights and secure a place as one of Germany’s all-time greats. What a career he forged with both clubs and country. eighteen years on, Bayer were back in Scotland’s footballing capital with a young man widely regarded as carrying more than a touch of Ballack’s agility and grace. At just 20, kai Havertz arrived wearing both the captain’s armband and an £80millionplus price tag. Bayern, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been linked with huge transfer offers. Limiting his influence was essential to Rangers’ hopes of a positive result. It proved beyond them. Havertz strolled through much of the 90 minutes with a mental setting that switched between nonchalance and arrogance. He netted from the spot and offered extra sparkle to an often classy team display from the visitors. Sometimes the effort required appeared minimal. Frantic chasing and harrying was not his business. But there was an acute intelligence about his movement, a delicacy about his touch, that shone so brightly even on a far from perfect Ibrox pitch. If this is to be the last european game hosted here in a season now under threat from the coronavirus crisis, then at least the venue was able to witness one of the finest young talents on the planet. Havertz has an uncanny ability for bamboozling opponents. And the initial surprise sprung came with his position. Although more regularly an attacking midfielder, Havertz was asked by coach Peter Bosz to operate at centre-forward — albeit not a conventional one — for a team nursing a not insignificant injury list. At 6ft 2in, Havertz is not short on physical presence.
His first key involvement came with a flicked header that set up karim Bellarabi for a shot blocked by Borna Barisic. Brute force is not really Havertz’s game, though. With black gloves blocking out the Glasgow cold, his rangy arms aid an exceptional sense of balance used to shift fluently clear of opponents. The danger for the Ibrox defence was in being left clawing at shadows if he could find his rhythm. A lovely lay-off set up kerem Demirbay at the edge of the area. His daisy-cutter directly into Allan McGregor’s arms was almost an insult to the quality of the potential assist. Then Havertz, under pressure inside his own half, twice shifted his body shape to effortlessly elude the hustling of Scott Arfield and Glen kamara. It was one of those little moments that made you nod in appreciation. Inconsequential in terms of the actual direction of the match, but proof nonetheless of a superior talent at work. There was a similar deception about the penalty that gave Leverkusen a 37th-minute lead. Awarded after a VAR check on a handball by George edmundson, it was Havertz who assumed responsibility. His eyes and shape of approach suggested a strike to McGregor’s left. The goalkeeper gambled thus. And Havertz coolly rolled a left-footed finish straight down the middle. Given the difficulties Rangers have encountered from the spot this season, Gerrard must have a twinge of envy at such a flawless conversion. Havertz has been on Bayer’s books since he was 11. He is the kind of homegrown success story that makes academy chiefs weak at the knees. Ibrox wasn’t much in the mood for swooning, mind you, as the home team were led a merry dance. Rangers attempted to rally in the second period but to no avail. The second goal struck by Charles Aranguiz all but confirmed what had long seemed inevitable. This would be Steven Gerrard’s first home european defeat. Havertz sought to apply salt to that looming wound by casually nicking the ball around George edmundson before putting those long legs to work. A lunging challenge from Arfield was required to stop him and it earned a yellow card. Come the full-time whistle, Bayer had a 3-1 lead that will surely be unassailable if the second leg is ever played.