Craig Burley believed Timo Werner should start as a substitute for Chelsea in their more important fixtures, speaking on ESPN FC.
Werner watched on from the bench as the Blues beat Crystal Palace 4-1 on Saturday, their largest victory under Thomas Tuchel.
A front three of Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount tore the Eagles apart, giving a glimpse into Chelsea’s potential attacking trio for years to come.
With Pulisic and Havertz both getting on the scoresheet, worries about Werner’s form in front of goal were highlighted again.
He hasn’t scored for club or country since the 15th of February. His only Premier League strike before that was in November.
Tuchel’s latest forward trident cast doubts over where Werner would fit into this system.
These reservations were coming from Burley, who felt the German would struggle to regain his place in Chelsea’s starting line-up.
When discussing Werner’s inclusion into Tuchel’s best XI, the former Blues midfielder said: “I don’t think Timo Werner gets in the team.
“I’d much rather have a fit Christian Pulisic and a clearly inform Mason Mount behind Havertz.
“Havertz is a clever player, we just haven’t seen it every week.
“He’s (Werner) played wide, he’s played central, he’s played where Pulisic and Mount has played.
“But it hasn’t quite worked for him so far.
“Maybe that’s good food for thought for Thomas Tuchel, but not so much Timo Werner, who I think if there’s a really big game for Chelsea tomorrow, he might find himself stuck on the bench.
“That tells you everything you need to know about his form.”
Despite his struggles, Werner remains as one of the Blues top scorers this season with ten goals. With eight assists, the 25-year-old is also Chelsea’s chief creator in 2020/21.
However, Havertz, Mount and Pulisic all added to their tally this weekend and are on course to overtake their misfiring teammate before too long.
This will be of concern for a player who was brought in specifically on the basis of his excellent goalscoring return.
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