Exclusive: Raphael Honigstein on how Chelsea can get the best out of Timo Werner
We spoke to The Athletic's German football expert about the new Chelsea striker.
As Timo Werner edged the ball over the line to score his first goal in 12 matches against Morecambe on Sunday afternoon, the expression on the striker’s face said it all.
It was one of relief and gratitude - you could feel the pressure instantly easing off the German international.
Werner though, has scored 9 goals now this season and grabbed 6 assists - not really the stats of a struggling striker.
But on the pitch, he has lacked confidence and could quite easily already be on 15 goals for the season. His touch has looked off, and he has been playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
However, what hasn’t helped him in many peoples views is the fact he has largely been playing as a left winger to fill the void of injuries for Frank Lampard.
This is a position he can play, but you will not get the best out of him in this role, far from it.
“I personally like him less as a winger because he needs to do too much work tracking back especially when the pressing lines are broken,” Raphael Honigstein told us.
“His best position is second striker, inside left, but he can play through the centre.”
The thing that caught my eye about this is that in Chelsea’s current formation of the 4-3-3, or the 4-2-3-1, Werner will never be playing in his most comfortable position, which appears to be as part of a front two, or at least having another attacker very close to him centrally.
The only formation that would suit this more is a 4-4-2, or an adaptation of that such as the 4-2-2-2.
Lampard did use such a formation in the latter end of the game vs Morecambe, when Werner actually came off. He had Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud playing as a two up top, and this is what I feel would suit Werner the best.
This is not saying he won’t succeed as a lone centre forward, he still has every chance of doing so. I am just a firm believer of playing players to their entire strengths, especially if they appear to be struggling to settle in a new league.