The former Germany international is confident that his fellow countryman will come good at Stamford Bridge and silence the critics
Timo Werner is being backed by Jurgen Klinsmann to silence his critics at Chelsea, with the iconic German striker pointing out to a fellow countryman that NBA legend Michael Jordan “missed more shots than he scored”.
Questions continue to be asked of whether full value will be found in the £47.5 million ($64m) deal that took Werner to Stamford Bridge during the summer of 2020.
Werner does have 11 goals and nine assists to his name this season, but more was expected from a big-money addition that has made a habit of squandering opportunities during a testing debut campaign in England.
What has been said?
World Cup winner Klinsmann remains convinced that Werner will come good, telling ESPN FC: “I have total trust in him because he knows where to be in the right time and right now, here and there, he misses one in that specific moment.
“That’s something to deal with for a striker and you have to kind of just think about the next opportunity that comes along.
“You know, Michael Jordan said he missed more shots than he scored, and for Timo Werner it’s just like if you fail in moments it makes you only stronger.
“The kid is good. The kid has a tremendous amount of drive and talent and he knows where the ball will fall in the box and he can also make things happen himself with his speed and going at people, so I totally have trust in Timo Werner.
“He will go through that stage and who knows, maybe he will score in the next game in the second leg or in the final of the Champions League.
“He was very young when he was 21 winning the Golden Boot at the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017. He scored almost 100 goals in the German Bundesliga and he’s only 25.
“The kid is good and the kid will prove it, but obviously he has to deal with the criticism when you miss a big chance, it’s just normal, like goalkeepers do as well when they make a mistake we are all over them, but I hope he gets plenty of opportunities going forward.”
The bigger picture
Werner drew another blank in his latest outing against Real Madrid, with Thibaut Courtois producing one stunning stop to deny him from close range.
He has found the target just once in his last 16 appearances for club and country, and three times in his last 37 outings.
Chelsea’s bid for a top-four finish in the Premier League will continue on Saturday against Fulham, with the second leg of their Champions League semi-final clash with Real to come after that and the FA Cup final with Leicester on May 15.
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