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There was no debut goal from Timo Werner against Brighton, but his performance showed how he will give Chelsea a new dimension.
Last Updated: 09/15/20 12:26 am
Timo Werner impressed on his Chelsea debut against Brighton
There were only a couple of minutes left on the clock at Amex Stadium when Timo Werner, Chelsea’s £ 45m signing from RB Leipzig, gave the first glimpse of what he can bring to Frank Lampard’s attack.
With an explosive run diagonally from left to right, the 24-year-old grabbed a long pass over the top of Reece James, dragging Ben White out of position as he did so, before firing a dangerous cross into the ball. area that was only narrowly missed by the Mason Mount avalanche.
The wizard belatedly raised his offside flag, meaning it wouldn’t have counted anyway, but the combination of speed, anticipation and awareness still made a clear synthesis of the qualities that persuaded Lampard to place Werner in the part. top of your summer wish list. .
He enters the Premier League with a stellar reputation having scored 95 goals in 159 appearances for RB Leipzig. His pedigree is such that, even before kick-off at Amex, Sky sports Expert Gary Neville said he’d be “absolutely blown away” if he doesn’t score at least 20 goals for Chelsea this season.
But Werner has not only been signed for his goals. He’s also seen as someone who can give Chelsea something different than Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud up front, someone with the pace and acceleration to stretch defenses and the smart movement to get behind them.
2:58 FREE TO SEE: Highlights from Chelsea’s win over Brighton
It could be seen in those early stages on the Amex. Abraham and Giroud were caught offside less than once a game on average last season, but Werner had been penalized twice in eight minutes. She was doing the kind of runs that Chelsea didn’t do often enough.
It was his speed and alertness that led to the opening goal. Werner was ready and waiting for the direct pass from Jorginho after Steven Alzate lost possession, and although the pass was passed, he was still quick enough to get there before Mat Ryan advanced to win the penalty. “He understood in an instant,” he said Sky sports expert Jamie Carragher.
There were more striking moments. Shortly before the break, Werner launched a counterattack deep into Chelsea territory before rushing forward to join Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who should have done better with his return pass. “Werner is absolutely crisp and lightning fast,” noted Alan Smith in the co-comment.
Timo Werner had seven touches in the rival area but also appeared in other areas of the field
Werner would have been in if Loftus-Cheek had been able to find him on that occasion, but he created a shooting opportunity for himself not long after, speeding away from Adam Webster on the left side of the Brighton area and unleashing fierce momentum. from near the baseline, forcing Ryan to panic save near the post.
Werner ended the night without a goal, but that diagonal effort was one of only five shots he attempted over the course of 90 minutes. He was repulsed by a heroic block from White in the final stages and there was an effort from behind that also crashed into a Brighton defender.
Chelsea will be encouraged by Werner’s sharpness in and around the Brighton area: “He has a real hunger to score goals and be ruthless in that area,” Lampard said. Sky sports afterwards, but it’s his willingness to fall to midfield and throw to the flanks that is most intriguing.
Timo Werner in action during his Premier League debut for Chelsea
“I love the way Timo appears in different areas,” added Lampard. “He is not a leader who sticks so much to center-backs. Sometimes he can start from a little deeper, but when he goes, he goes.”
Werner’s move caused problems for Brighton at all times. Rather than being a stationary target in front, it was in constant motion, often charging into the box from the left side. He made dangerous runs every time Chelsea had possession and went after Brighton players when they didn’t.
His work rate was impressive, and perhaps explains why Lampard was happy to put him off until the final whistle despite having Abraham and Giroud in reserve. According to Premier League tracking data, Werner did more sprints than anyone on the field. Only the famous N’Golo Kante covered more ground.
Werner was photographed with an ice pack stuck to his knee after the game, revealing in his post-game interview with Sky sports that his collision with Ryan over the penalty had hampered him for the rest of the match. But it certainly didn’t look like that on the field.
Quite the contrary, in fact. Kai Havertz was much calmer on his debut, suggesting he might need time to adjust to the Premier League, but Werner took it without a hitch. It seems that he has already added a new dimension to Chelsea’s attack.
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