Timo Werner scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle United this week, ending a goal drought that had been going on since November. Although the 24-year-old has struggled to find the net, he has still been influential for the blues.
Chelsea fans will be hoping that the goals will now start to flow for Werner as the Blues look to push their season forward. Werner’s goal helped them to a fourth win in a row under Thomas Tuchel and moved them up to fourth in the table. With some huge fixtures on the horizon, Tuchel will be hoping Werner can help his team in picking up more victories.
Timo Werner Ends Goal Drought
Playing in a More Suited Role
One of the criticisms of former boss Frank Lampard was that he was not able to get the most out of Timo Werner. After his £49 million move from RB Leipzig in the summer, it was expected that Werner would be scoring on a regular occasion. He scored 28 goals for Leipzig last year, making him the fourth-highest scorer in Europe. However, it seemed as though Lampard couldn’t get the best out of the German. One of the reasons Tuchel was brought in was to aid in Werner’s development, knowing him well from his time in Germany.
Although Tuchel has only managed five Premier League games for Chelsea, Werner already seems to be playing better. Instead of playing on the left-wing as he did under Lampard, Werner is now playing as an inside forward. He links close to the central striker while also being able to drift wide and combine with the wing-back. This was evident in the win over Newcastle, where Werner combined with Marcos Alonso and Olivier Giroud several times to great effect.
Since Tuchel’s arrival, Werner has won two penalties, scored a goal and got several assists. It seems as though Chelsea fans can finally expect to see the player who was so deadly last season. Werner’s attitude throughout this barren run has been exemplary. Rarely could you see the German sulk or shy away from attacking opportunities. He kept his chin up and continued to create chances for himself and his teammates. He will be hoping now he can kick on and score plenty more.
A Good Time to Start Scoring
This could be the perfect time for Werner to come into form. Chelsea have now pushed themselves into the top four and, with games against Manchester United and Everton coming in the next two weeks, picking up victories could cement them into the Champions League spaces. Next weekend’s match against United is a huge game for both clubs. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have found themselves out of form recently. Werner’s pace could be a great asset against the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, who have struggled recently.
Chelsea also have their Champions League round of 16 tie against Atletico Madrid next week. Atletico are playing extremely well, sitting top of La Liga. It will be a difficult tie for Werner and Chelsea with Atletico known for the pragmatic, hard to break down style of play. If Werner can keep performing at this level, Chelsea will stand a much better chance of progressing to the next round.
Lots of Competition
Although Werner has impressed under Tuchel, his place in the starting 11 is not guaranteed. Chelsea have a plethora of attacking talents ready to take Werner’s place. If Tuchel persists with the 3-4-3 formation he has deployed, it leaves only two attacking positions for Chelsea’s wingers. Tuchel has said that he wants to play either Tammy Abraham or Giroud as the central striker meaning Werner, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are all competing for two spaces.
Although you could say that this is a great problem for a manager to have, it means that Tuchel will need time to see which combinations work best – time he does not have. He needs to find his best team soon as we approach make or break time for Chelsea’s season. If Timo Werner is to keep his place in this side, he must deliver goals on a regular basis. If not, he could easily be pushed to the bench. However, Werner is playing some great football right now and it seems Chelsea have a much greater chance of winning with him on the field.
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