Timo Werner, is he good enough or he just needs time?

Born, raised and trained in football in Stuttgart, Timo Werner from the beginning of his career was an outstanding player who broke several records in his club, VFB Stuttgart. He is a modern striker who has winger characteristics that allow him to be very dangerous, but he has struggled so far at Chelsea. So the question is: Why is that?

From his beginnings in professional football with VFB Stuttgart, Timo Werner showed that his main qualities were speed and being a straightforward player, which is why he was usually positioned as a winger on the left side of the pitch, cutting the right profile to be able to dribble and shoot.

After VFB Stuttgart got relegated, Timo Werner was signed by RB Leipzig, where he would become known on an international level, especially during the 2019-20 season because he was able to score more as he began to play more as a striker. This earned him a deal with Chelsea FC and go to the English Premier League in this last summer.

In England he has scored 8 goals in 21 games. However, 3 of those goals were scored in 6 UEFA Champions League games, so he only has 5 goals in 15 games played in local competitions, which highlights the difficulties Werner has had to adapt to English football. In fact, the player himself has said that English football has been much more difficult than what he initially expected.

The reality is that physical strength is not a quality that stands out in Werner’s game and perhaps this condition added to the fact of playing as the only striker allows defenders to mark him in easier fashion and take advantage of his physical weakness. Another point to highlight is the numerous signings that Chelsea FC have made for this new season, which require adapting to playing with each other, English football and Frank Lampard’s system.

Hence why other new players like Kai Havertz have not shown their best performance at Stamford Bridge so far, either. The reality is that Timo Werner is a great striker with a lot of potential and that as soon as he adapts to the demands of English football, he will show his ability.

It is important to remember that other players like Thierry Henry also needed time to adapt to the English Premier League before becoming the stars that they turned out to be.