Timo Werner – The German’s mixed start to life at Chelsea

Previous seasons have shown that being a striker at Chelsea can be very demanding, and Timo Werner has very much learnt this the hard way.

Since his £45m move to Stamford Bridge last summer, many would argue that he has failed to live up to expectations so far. Last season at RB Leipzig he scored 34 times in 45 appearances in all competitions, making him one of the top scorers in all of Europe.

While his stats this season may not be as good as fans have seen in the past, it is too early for him to be labelled as a ‘flop’, with Werner’s recent upturn in form showing promising signs of a strong end to the campaign.

The German has actually been a somewhat solid signing for the Blues, contrary to popular belief amongst many  football fans.

The 24-year-old arrived in England with a point to prove. He finished the 2019/20 Bundesliga season as the second highest scorer in the league, only six goals behind Robert Lewandowski’s 34. Chelsea fans were excited to see the rapid and clinical striker in a blue shirt, and he made a good impression in his first few games.

In the Blues’ opening Premier League fixture, Werner won a penalty away at Brighton which helped to secure the first three points of the season. In the Carabao Cup away at Spurs, Werner scored his first competitive goal for the club, but his hard work was cut out as the home side progressed to the next round after winning on penalties.

Werner was back to scoring for Chelsea in the league when he netted twice against Southampton at home, as well as assisting fellow German Kai Havertz. It seemed as though he was settling into life in English football as he scored in four consecutive games against Krasnodar, Burnley, Stade Rennais and Sheffield United.

However his form took a huge dip soon after, and he went on a goalless run from the start of November until the turn of the new year, where he eventually netted against Morecambe in the FA Cup. He was able to pick up the odd assist every so often, but now questions were being asked about whether or not his move to SW6 was worthwhile.

He had another big chance to score in the FA Cup tie against Luton Town, only for him to miss his penalty in the last few minutes of the game. Werner looked frustrated afterwards, and rightly so.

Although he hasn’t been as prolific as he was in his home country, he has still been working hard to get himself on the scoresheet. His attitude has remained professional and he has not tried to hide away from poor performances, which some previous Chelsea strikers had a habit of doing.

Since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival as manager, however, it seems as though his fortunes have changed.

The last couple of weeks have seen him become a lot more influential for Chelsea and he scored his first goal in the league since Novembers against Newcastle on Monday evening. Even before that game, he won the penalty that secured victory away at Spurs, as well as recoding two assists at Sheffield United.

He now looks like a player who is really enjoying his football, and this increase in confidence could prove to be hugely beneficial for Chelsea in their remaining games this season. All strikers go through rough patches in their careers, with Werner’s being even harder considering the high expectations the club have for this squad.

So as of mid-February, the German has 19 goal involvements in 32 games for Chelsea. Considering how fans have labelled his overall time at the club, this isn’t bad going at all. As long as he remains injury-free and full of confidence, then there is definitely the potential for him to boost those numbers even more come the end of the campaign.

Tuchel’s new system at Chelsea has seen Werner thrive so far, with tough upcoming tests against Atletico Madrid and Manchester United being key indicators of where this team is and how well the striker can do throughout the rest of the season.

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