Timo Werner looks set to prove his doubters wrong

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Timo Werner scored three goals in as many games during the September international break which helped Germany to three crucial victories in the World Cup Qualifiers.

The German forward also contributed with an additional assist to take his goal contributions tally to four in three matches for his national side, leaving his club manager Thomas Tuchel with a dilemma over who to start when Chelsea return to Premier League action against Aston Villa.

The 25-year-old has only started in one of the Blues’ matches this season making just one additional appearance since the opening weekend of the season due to the big-money signing of Romelu Lukaku.

Werner signed for the West London club last summer and was expected to set the league alight with goals. However, he has struggled with confidence as he consistently missed an array of opportunities throughout the campaign.

The German forward even admitted that had he put away some of those chances, former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard may still have been in the role.

However, despite all the criticism Werner received, the German’s maiden season in England went relatively under the radar as he finished the season with the most goal contributions at the Blues with 12 goals and 15 assists.

The German was a crucial element to Chelsea’s attack last season, as he featured in all but one game in the Blues’ Champions League-winning campaign.

Since the arrival of Lukaku at the club, chances have been limited for Werner and the 25-year-old striker has become a somewhat forgotten figure as Tuchel has opted for Mason Mount and Kai Havertz instead of Werner, to flank the Belgian striker.

Werner and Lukaku have the perfect partnership potential

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The Chelsea manager’s decisions have paid off to date as the Blues remain undefeated this season, and while Mount and Havertz have done well,  the German striker’s recent hot-streak will make it difficult for Tuchel to ignore him for much longer.

The 25-year-old was a mainstay in the team last season starting 44 of the 59 matches for the Blues, proving his importance to the European champions last season.

The versatility of Werner also benefits his chances of playing as he can also play off the left flank instead of competing directly with the club-record signing Lukaku for the striker’s spot in Tuchel’s system.

Additionally, the German’s best goalscoring season came at RB Leipzig when he played behind the target man, Yussuf Poulsen.

This took the pressure off Werner to hold the ball up and play with his back to the goal. Instead allowing the 25-year-old to play to his strengths and exploit the space left behind a defence to latch onto flick-ons from his striking partner and utilise his main strength which is his pace.

Furthermore, instead of competing for a spot with the Belgian, Werner’s assets also compliment Lukaku’s style of play.

The threat caused in behind by the German gives defenders one of two options, the first is to drop off to cover those runs, leaving space and time for one of the world’s most clinical strikers in Lukaku to pick his spot.

The whole footballing world saw this pattern of playwork to perfection on the biggest stage in club football, as Ruben Dias dropped off to cover a run made by Werner in the Champions League final, which left a massive gap for Havertz to exploit and score the game-winning goal.

The likes of Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic were the beneficiaries of Werner’s 15 assists last season as the German played some killer passes for his teammates against teams such as Manchester City and Atletico Madrid which the Blues can definitely benefit from this season.

Chelsea’s ability to strike quickly on the counter-attack is boosted with Werner on the flanks and Lukaku is one of the very few people who can keep up with the German’s pace in order to benefit from his final balls across goal.

Finally, the signing of Lukaku helps take the goalscoring burden off Werner and should allow him to play with more freedom and without the fear of constant criticism from opposition fans for his occasional lapses in finishing.

This could lead to the German proving why the Blues decided to spend £45 million just one year ago and the tailored expectations could see Werner find his goalscoring boots once again and even get close to his 34 goals in the 2019/2020 season should he cement a spot back in the starting lineup.

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