Kai Havertz hopes to repay the trust of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea in the absence of Romelu Lukaku, while the Germany international cannot wait to learn from Raheem Sterling.
Tuchel has previously used Havertz as a false nine to lead the Blues line, with Lukaku either injured or unselected, but the striker scored just eight times in 29 Premier League appearances last season.
With Lukaku returning to Inter on loan, Tuchel ruling out a move for Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski joining Barcelona, Havertz will likely be tasked with the role up top once more.
Though the former Bayer Leverkusen star acknowledged he did not expect the positional switch, Havertz is aiming to make the role his own and give Tuchel reason to have faith in him.
"I've played a lot of positions over the years but last season I played a lot as a number nine and it's a position I like very much," he told reporters.
"If I look back four years ago, I could never have imagined playing there. But the last two years I've played it more often and I like the position.
"It's still good that I am flexible and can play different positions up front, but I am there to score goals and make assists and as a number nine you have to do that and link up with players.
"Consistency in football is a very big word; we play every three days and we have to always keep the level high. It's also the case for me to be consistent in every match and to score as many goals as I can.
"Sometimes, it's normal that for one game you drop the level. It's not always possible to score five goals in every game. Consistency for me is a big point and I try to work on that.
"I need to get that confidence from the coach, I need the trust of the coach. Sometimes also in the bad times too. He has always given that trust to me in the last couple of years.
"It is always good for a striker, and me as well, [to know that]. I'm still young. If you are playing and on the pitch, you always have to take the responsibility.
"I will definitely try to play again as much as I can this season. Hopefully, it is going to be a better year than last year."
If Havertz wants to improve his goalscoring ability and finishing, he has to look no further for advice than from Sterling, who joined from Manchester CIty on a five-year deal last week.
Since Pep Guardiola became City coach in 2016, Sterling has scored 27 Premier League goals from inside the six-yard box, which is five more than anyone else (Harry Kane, 22).
The England international averaged almost a goal every other game (one every 179 minutes) in the Premier League under Guardiola, with his haul of 85 bettered by only five players since the start of the 2016-17 season.
"We all know that he is a great player," Havertz said of Sterling. "I saw a stat about him that he has had the most goals and assists for Man City in the last five years or something like that. That tells the whole story of him.
"He was a great player for City and the national team as well, hopefully, he can keep up his level here. For me and of course, for everyone, he is going to help.
"I think in every game you can see that. I know the game against England at the Euros, he played well. You can see his quality here already and it's been just a few days.
"You can see in training how good he is, how fast he is. He is definitely going to help us."
Kalidou Koulibaly has also joined Chelsea as the second signing of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital era at Stamford Bridge, and Havertz is delighted to have new ownership after a turbulent last season.
"It was a crazy time for all of us," Havertz said, referencing former owner Roman Abramovich's sanctions. "There were then a lot of changes in the club which was strange for all of us, but we came through it.
"I think it helps that in the team we all get to know each other and also in different or difficult situations that everyone is together so I think it helped us as well.
"I think we are a special group. We see that in the changing room away from the pitch and on the pitch. We have a lot of young players who are maybe the same age.
"We have a lot of experienced players and I think we all fit together very well. You see it off the pitch that it is hopefully going to be a special year for us."
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
Tuchel insists Bayern Munich coach search not affecting team's focus
Bayern Munich's search for coach Thomas Tuchel's successor is not distracting the team from their preparations for next week's Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid or their final Bundesliga matches.
That was the vow from Tuchel before Bayern first face Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday with the league title already secured by Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern will part ways with Tuchel at the end of a disappointing domestic season, a year earlier than his contract.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick confirmed this week there had been contact with Bayern while several other coaches have been linked with the club.
Tuchel, however, said the team was shutting out any such distractions as they chase a spot in the Champions League final.
"In the next 11 days it can only be football and the goals we can still reach," Tuchel told a press conference.
"We want to collect points [in the Bundesliga] to get the best result and reach the Champions League final.
"For anything else, there is just no capacity at the moment, whether it is comfortable or uncomfortable despite the many issues."
With no chance of domestic silverware and Bayern battling to hold on to second place, three points ahead of third-placed Stuttgart whom they face in 10 days, Tuchel said it was clear Tuesday's game against Real Madrid was on everyone's mind already.
"I can accept and it is important that we all accept it that there is this background noise against Frankfurt," Tuchel said.
"We don't have to tell ourselves a fairytale that we are only thinking 100% about Eintracht.
"There is this background noise that the Real Madrid game plays a role. When I get my coffee in the morning people don't say 'good luck for tomorrow' they say 'good luck for Tuesday' to me."
Bayern still have some injury concerns for the coming games with Dayot Upamecano doubtful after twisting an ankle in training and Leroy Sane racing to get fit in time for Tuesday.
Tuchel said: "We have a test [against Frankfurt] and either we are distracted or we find solutions. Put on ear plugs or headphones and study for the test. That is my task."
The former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss was also asked about over 12,000 Bayern supporters signing a petition asking for him to remain at the club.
"Even though this topic is good for me when they [the fans] wish you to stay, it's not something that is a priority and it isn't allowed to be a priority," he said.
"Whether it's pleasant or unpleasant, I don't allow myself to be influenced by it. We're only focusing on every day counting towards our goals and there is no exception here.
"This question is like the neighbour that is noisy at three in the morning, if we're honest! I'll set my headphones to noise-cancelling mode and ignore that.
"This topic won't help me on Saturday and won't help me on Tuesday - and it is not my topic."
Guardiola insists three teams still in title hunt despite Liverpool slip-up
Pep Guardiola insists Liverpool remain in the Premier League title race, despite the Reds losing further ground on Arsenal and Manchester City in a dramatic few days at the summit.
Liverpool suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Merseyside rivals Everton on Wednesday, a result which meant they failed to close the gap to Arsenal after the Gunners thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday.
While Jurgen Klopp's men couldn't respond to the Gunners pulling clear, City did on Thursday, with Phil Foden scoring twice in an emphatic 4-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
One point behind Arsenal with a game in hand, City know five wins from their five remaining matches will seal an unprecedented fourth successive English top-flight title.
However, Guardiola expects further twists and turns in the coming weeks.
Asked if Liverpool were still in contention after City's win, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Yeah. Many things can happen.
"What happened with Liverpool, losing to Crystal Palace and Everton, can happen to us. It can happen to Arsenal. No-one is safe. We have to rest. Now it is just about recovering for the next one.
"We have been here in the past but being here in the past doesn't mean it is going to happen. We have to do the things to make it happen."
City's comprehensive win – in which Kevin De Bruyne scored his first headed goal in the Premier League – saw them cut Arsenal's goal difference advantage to eight goals.
However, Guardiola believes it will be tough for City to close that gap, saying: "It is difficult to cut. The margin is so big. They score a lot of goals and don't concede.
"The main thing is to win the games. We have five games left and they are tough ones – it's a lot of games. We'll take it one game at a time."
Foden's first goal against Brighton – a deflected free-kick – saw him become just the third player to score 50 top-flight goals under Guardiola while aged 23 or younger, after Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
Foden is the favourite to be named Premier League Player of the Season, and while Guardiola believes he should be in contention, he says his player is more concerned with team honours.
"For sure, but he wants to win the Premier League," Guardiola said when asked if Foden deserved individual honours. "His influence in the final third was better than in the last two or three games. Today he was more calm, his decision-making was good and to score goals is always good."
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