Antonio Rudiger has given Chelsea teammate Timo Werner a special mention when talking about the attacking talent in the Blues squad.
Romelu Lukaku has made a sensational start to the season since rejoining in the summer, which is why it looks like he’s got the number nine starting position nailed down. The Belgian striker has four goals in four games across all competitions, so there is a lot of excitement around him.
Meanwhile, Werner has started just two of the club’s opening six games across all competitions.
The 25-year-old attacker was an unused substitute last night in the 1-0 Champions League win over Zenit St Petersburg, with his lack of minutes a slight concern of late. It looks like he’s vying for one of the two attacking roles just behind Lukaku, but there is so much competition in the squad.
Rudiger has decided, though, to mention Werner in the same breath as Lukaku:
“Last season we also had a lot of chances but it is just that we didn’t finish so well but having him (Romelu Lukaku), and Timo Werner as well, with their qualities, is very good,” Rudiger said.
Timo Werner will need to show plenty of character
If you consider Werner was important in Chelsea winning the Champions League last year, it must be hard for the player to deal with some of the criticism still fired his way.
His return of 12 goals and 15 assists last season for the Blues was overshadowed for plenty by the host of chances he missed.
He definitely looks like a confidence player that showed at ex-club RB Leipzig he can be a goal machine, which is why fans should stick by him.
There is extra pressure on him to deliver when he’s on the pitch this season because of the competition, but it would be wrong to completely write him off.
Lukaku’s standard has raised the bar for all the attackers and it’ll be intriguing to see who answers the challenge.
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