Glimpses of Timo Werner for Chelsea and Germany

Already, Timo Werner has provided a promising perspective into what is to come for him in a Chelsea jersey, through latest fixtures for club and country.

Less than a month has flown by since Chelsea concluded their 2019/20 campaign. They will be gearing up for another action-packed, pulsating, and pivotal year for the Frank Lampard legacy.

In such a small period, Blues fans have been privileged enough to witness a portion of their potentially terrific team in motion during a friendly draw with fellow Premier League rivals, Brighton & Hove Albion.

Spearheading this transformation is Timo Werner, who inevitably got onto the score sheet during his non-competitive Chelsea debut to truly whet the appetite of what the German striker has in store. He also gave a strong account of himself in his national colors. He scored again in another 1-1 draw as Die Mannschaft were denied late on by a Spain equalizer in their Nations League clash.

So what can be learned from Werner’s brief stints in the spotlight? The most obvious place to begin is his sixth sense in finding the back of the net. Both finishes were executed with ease, despite neither being the most straightforward of skills.

Against Brighton, he rushed on to a seemingly inadvertent knock-down from Callum Hudson-Odoi, taking the shot in his stride under the keeper where some would have hit straight down the middle. His second was even more aesthetically pleasing. After fine build-up play, Germany’s wingback Robin Gosens feed the forward on the edge of the area, who in turn danced past several Spanish challenges and guided the ball into the bottom corner, with David De Gea totally wrong-footed.

This inuring accuracy is no secret to the footballing community and perhaps the main reason why Chelsea was so insistent on signing the 24-year-old. But to appreciate his skill in the flesh just adds another dimension to his already universal appeal.

And it cannot be forgotten he was not facing defenders from the Irish Premier Division, of whom Chelsea faced during their preseason tour last season. Werner was tasked with outwitting Sergio Ramos for Germany, a contest the former generally came out on top off. His pace and willingness to run in behind the back line caused issues for the aging centerback, adding a couple of years onto the legs of the Real Madrid skipper.

Brighton began with three accomplished centerhalves in Lewis Dunk, Aaron Webster, and Ben White. Athough Werner was limited to far fewer openings, he still managed to find the space between the trio to bag his customary goal.

On the subject of opportunities, he should have added to his 12 he has managed for the national side. One-half chance was blazed well over when he was left running at Ramos. Another, much clearer sighting, was grazed into the side netting after Leroy Sane sent Werner slightly wider than he would have liked with a pass across the box. Can this be marked down as wasteful finishing? Absolutely not; more a sign he is in the right positions and more likely than not, he will be wheeling away in celebration.

Interestingly, his goals and shots were all taken inside the area, which is completely characteristic of his instinctive personality. Just three of his 28 Bundesliga goals for RB Leipzig last season were scored from outside the 18-yard-line, demonstrating his danger in close proximity to goal. This will certainly play into Chelsea’s favor, who has become known for swift breaks under Frank Lampard, ending with either a cross or a decisive pass into the zone that Werner happily occupies.

If there were to be any minor criticisms of his performances, his end product in terms of final delivery was not outstanding. On a couple of occasions, he would take the ball to the byline but was unable to pull it back to a teammate. Isolated with a defender, Werner was unable to go past his marker, either tackled or muscled off the ball. Again, these are minuscule issues in the grand scheme of such a talent and fortunately for Lampard, he has others in his squad for just such duties.

In fact, Werner registered eight assists in the league for Leipzig, ranking him joint sixth in the division, and was within the top 20 for key passes (53), hence him being herald as more than just a finisher. Once he finds his rhythm and relationships within the Chelsea set up, his contributions will increase further than just his goal scoring.

These are undoubtedly exciting times to be in the Chelsea contingent, especially with Timo Werner leading the line. If he continues his current form, opposing defenders should be extremely worried.