Chris Sutton believes Chelsea should unleash Timo Werner vs Real Madrid in their upcoming UEFA Champions League tie
According to Chris Sutton in his column for the Daily Mail, Chelsea should give Timo Werner a chance to shine against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in their upcoming Champions League fixture. The Blues succumbed to a 1-3 defeat in the first leg and have a mountain to climb should they hope to cause an upset.
The German forward has largely struggled ever since making the move to Stamford Bridge. His performances have blown hot and cold in a Blue jersey but his recent exploits against Southampton could probably give him a much-needed lifeline.
Werner has been at the end of many jokes due to a lack of clinical finishing in the last couple of seasons. He hasn’t set the world on fire at Stamford Bridge, but could be a key asset should he reproduce his electric form against the Saints in their last Premier League fixture.
In his Daily Mail column, Chris Sutton shed light on how the Blues have nothing to lose and should give the former RB Leipzig star a chance against Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“I hope Timo Werner got to take the goal-frame home with him from Southampton after securing the woodwork hat-trick — striking the left post, right post, and crossbar. Despite his desperately rotten luck, Werner still helped himself to two goals. Thomas Tuchel has sounded so negative about Chelsea’s chances of producing a Champions League comeback against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, describing it as an ‘almost impossible’ task.”
The former Premier League player highlighted that the 26-year-old German international has had his own problems with the West Londoners. That being said, with the absence of Romelu Lukaku, it would be a shot worth taking with very few repercussions in the way of a result.
“If that defeatist attitude is genuine and he does indeed think they’ve got nothing to lose, isn’t it worth throwing Werner into the mix? Why not? Chelsea need goals, and though Werner hasn’t set the world alight since signing, he’s guaranteed to work his socks off.”
Werner magic at Santiago Bernabeu?
The German forward has only bagged nine goals and four assists in 30 matches across all competitions for the Blues this season so far. Hence it would seem like a slight exaggeration to say that he could influence our tie against the Spanish Giants.
The club from Madrid trashed us at home in the first leg with a Karim Benzema masterclass that saw him record a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge. This leaves us with a big mountain to climb as we look to overturn a two-goal deficit against Carlo Ancelotti’s men tonight.
Kai Havertz has been a dependable option up front and scored the only goal for the Blues in the reverse fixture. The German duo could be unleashed and may be the best option for Thomas Tuchel keeping their recent developments in mind.
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It is tough to see us beat the 13-time UCL winners at their own home ground. That being said, it is certainly not impossible but the London-based club would have to get off to a quick start and apply the pressure from the first whistle.
Having a natural number 9 like Werner, who is quick off the blocks, can help us in certain situations- especially if Los Galacticos leave space between their goalkeeper and defence to be exploited. Werner played both legs of our semi-final win against Madrid last season in the UCL, scoring an important goal in the second leg to secure a 3-1 aggregate win.