Timo Werner admitted to Sky Sports that he wanted Thomas Tuchel to bring him off against Sheffield United after suffering an injury for Chelsea.
The Blues survived a tough evening in Sheffield thanks to goals from Mason Mount and Jorginho, both of which assisted by Werner.
It was the German’s pull-back for Mount that opened the scoring and then his speed that forced Aaron Ramsdale to foul him inside the United area.
Werner was replaced after 75 minutes and hobbled off the pitch in some discomfort. He later revealed this was by his own admission.
“It was winning the penalty,” Werner replied when asked where he sustained the problem that forced him to have an icepack strapped to his left thigh.
“A dead leg I think is what you call it. The 10/15 minutes after was hard. I told the manager he should take me off because it was a tight game. It’s better to have 11 fit players than 10 and a half.”
Although Werner failed to find the back of the net for a 14th consecutive Premier League match, his work rate and endeavour was never in doubt.
His constant running in behind disrupted Sheffield United’s defence and his part to play in Chelsea’s win cannot be overlooked.
Tuchel deployed him in a slightly different role than his customary striker position. Werner played off to the left, with Olivier Giroud leading the line.
This allowed him to exploit his pace and not feel the burden of being Chelsea’s sole forward.
Although the performance was excellent, Tuchel will be concerned as to the extent of Werner’s injury.
Chelsea are already awaiting a fitness update on Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz.
Another added to the treatment table would be unwelcome considering the compact fixture schedule every side has to endure.
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Here’s hoping Werner’s wound isn’t too serious as I’m sure he is close to breaking his scoring drought.
A period on the side-lines is the last thing he and Chelsea need right now, so let’s wish for a speedy recovery.
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