Thomas Tuchel has told Timo Werner that he has “no need to worry too much” about his goal return at Chelsea, with the German forward facing more frustration in the final third against Liverpool.
A lively performance was put in by the 24-year-old, as he was asked to lead the line and trouble the Reds with his pace running in behind.
Chances fell Werner’s way and he had the ball in the net at one stage, but his tally for the season remains at 10 after seeing the narrowest of offside calls by VAR rule out what could have been a morale-boosting strike.
What has been said?
Werner has struggled for a spark throughout his debut season in England, but Tuchel is not overly concerned.
The Blues boss told reporters after seeing his central striker draw another blank on Merseyside: “I demand 100 per cent in every training session, I don’t allow self-pity.
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“Timo is full of talent and plays for one of the best clubs in the world, in one of the best leagues in the world. So there is no need for him to worry too much if he puts in the effort, puts himself in a state of mind to play on the highest level.
“We are not counting the minutes [to goals] and for me and my approach it is not an issue.”
Werner’s stats for 2020-21
Chelsea invested £47.5 million ($66m) in Werner when snapping him up from RB Leipzig.
An early flurry of goals saw him reach eight for the season by November 7, but end product then dried up.
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At one stage, Werner registered just one effort across 20 outings for club and country, with a 1,000-minute barren spell endured in Premier League competition.
That was finally broken in a 2-0 win over Newcastle on February 15, but a further four goalless outings have been taken in since then.
While Tuchel may be paying no attention to Werner’s minutes/goals ratio, his return in that department currently stands at one effort every 265 minutes.
How does that record compare to Chelsea’s other strikers?
Werner has often been deployed in a wide attacking role this season, allowing an alternative option to be used down the middle with both Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud battling it out for the right to fill the No.9 berth.
They have both bettered Werner’s return when it comes to goals, registering 12 and 11 respectively across all competitions.
World Cup winner Giroud is ticking over at one every 97 minutes he spends on the field, with England international Abraham – who is seeing questions asked of his future – a little off that pace at the 127-minute mark.