Ralph Hasenhuttl believes Frank Lampard should play Chelsea star Timo Werner upfront
Chelsea star Timo Werner has struggled to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge. While he continues to do well off the ball, his inability to find the back of the net has been troubling.
The German has now gone 10 Premier League games without a goal and has been guilty of missing some gilt-edged chances.
Predominantly deployed as a left-winger, Werner has enjoyed mixed success on the wing. According to the Daily Mail, his former boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has hinted that the player is at his best while leading the line.
The Austrian managed Werner during his initial days at RB Leipzig. He has a high opinion of the player and has also seen him during his poor streaks of form.
“Most of the time when I have seen this is because of the reason that the game doesn’t fit to him. The team didn’t play in the way he can bring his best on the pitch, I think.”
He believes most of it can be attributed to the team’s tactics not being tailored to bring the best out of the 24-year-old.
“He is definitely a player where you have to adapt your game on him. If you do this, he will give you everything you need from a striker.”
Playing to the strengths!
Hasenhuttl also went on to add that it is upfront that Werner thrives. This is true as he predominantly excelled as a striker for Leipzig. The German ace averages 0.7 goal contributions per game for Chelsea while playing upfront. In comparison, it falls to 0.6 when he is played out wide. (h/t Transfermarkt)
“You really need to bring him into his best position so he can bring his strength on the pitch and then for me, he is one of the best strikers in Europe.”
It appears to be something Lampard too has realised. He has started Werner up front in Chelsea’s last three Premier League games.
The Blues boss has often spoken of his belief and support for Werner. He was seen consoling the striker at full time against Fulham. Hopefully, the duo will be seen celebrating more in the weeks to come.
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Werner has made 26 appearances for Chelsea this season. During this time he has scored nine goals and assisted six more. (h/t Transfermarkt)
One of the best strikers on his day, he will hopefully return to doing what he does best – score at will.