Chelsea: Three lessons learnt from dominant opening day

3. Timo Werner is still as frustrating as ever

To those that were expecting the German to kick on this season having largely struggled to find the net last campaign, the early signs are not looking very promising. As impressive as his runs are throughout the 90’, there were chances that a more clinical forward would have buried. Apart from this were the loose touches, poor passes and lackluster ball control in tighter areas of the pitch. One year on from his signing, watching Werner play still gives off an overwhelming impression that without a large amount of space to operate in, the 25-year-old is never going to hit the heights he did in the Bundesliga. Having undergone a rather mediocre Euros in the summer as well, the expectation that Werner would somehow magically come good for the Blues this season was hardly ever going to hold up.

The bottom line is that while the German had the excuse of last season being his first in England and therefore a need to adapt to English football, the expectations are higher than ever this season, especially in light of the UCL win in May. This, coupled with the confirmation of Romelu Lukaku’s arrival at the club means that missed chances and poor performances are not going to be tolerated the way they were last season. Just one year into his Chelsea career and Werner is already at a crossroads of sorts. He simply has to do so much more if he wishes to have a long-lasting career in the blue of Chelsea.

What lessons did you learn in this one? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!