Thomas Tuchel explained in his press conference that he didn’t think Timo Werner had been suffering at the beginning of his Chelsea career.
Speaking prior to this Saturday’s game against Southampton, the Blues boss was asked about comments that Saint’s manager Ralph Hasenhuttl previously had made about Werner.
Hasenhuttl said the German strikers’ struggles had occurred because Frank Lampard was playing him out position.
“I didn’t hear what he said,” said Tuchel in response to the Hasenhuttl’s statement.
“Everyone has the right to their own opinion. I think Timo had a very good start. Very clinical and very efficient start at Chelsea under Frank.
“I couldn’t see any problem in my opinion. He was a big plus and a big reason Timo joined the club, that connection to Frank.”
Werner’s move from RB Leipzig last summer was greeted with great anticipation and expectation.
Life began pretty well for the 24-year-old at Stamford Bridge.
He went on a run of scoring seven times in five matches between October and November, as well as a handful of assists along the way.
But the goals soon dried up, as did his performances. Lampard struggled to fix this problem and faced the ultimate sacrifice of losing his job.
Tuchel’s takeover has certainly improved Werner’s confidence. So much so, he ended his 15 game Premier League drought against Newcastle United on Monday.
The Chelsea boss had always kept the faith in his compatriot, even before he was named manager.
“I saw the goal coming, he said
“He earned it. Maybe its just luck that we both come from Germany that he feels he gets these little percentages of more confidence.
“I watched Chelsea one week before I joined, I had no doubt Timo would come back from this situation and has the quality and it’s a quality to play in more than one position.”
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I think many people forget about the purple patch Werner went through.
Not only that, they often forget the amount of chances he’s created for teammates.
Admittedly, it did seem that Frank couldn’t quite work out what to do with him. Tuchel definitely doesn’t have that dilemma.
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