But afterwards, victorious head coach Julian Nagelsmann claimed that Werners absence actually wasnt a big deal at all, and not simply due to the fact that he had actually decided to sign up with and leave the club Chelsea in July rather than stay for these games.
” Atletico would not have actually been the best challengers for Timo Werner since there is not a great deal of space behind the defensive line. Thats why we played with three offensive midfielders to produce the area.”
– Julian Nagelsmann; source: Metro
RB Leipzig beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League quarterfinals on Thursday night, a result that was even more impressive thinking about that they had to do it against among the very best protective groups on the planet without their leading goalscorer, Timo Werner, who was seeing on television just, like the rest people.
And that sounds a bit ominous, since Chelsea tend to face a great deal of jam-packed defenses that leave little bit to no area behind their lines.
(how much) should we be concerned?
Nagelsmann might of course be right– even if he did play Werner in literally every single match this season prior to the transfer, picking him to begin 31 times out of the 34, consisting of both times against Mourinhos Spurs (along with a center forward in Patrick Shick).
Nagelsmann might naturally be right– even if he did play Werner in literally every single match this season prior to the transfer, choosing him to begin 31 times out of the 34, consisting of both times against Mourinhos Spurs (along with a center forward in Patrick Shick). Werner may wilt like a delicate flower when faced with towering man mountains of English beef, and may not be as beneficial in a non-pressing unfavorable gameplan complete of tactical fouling. Lampard, for much better or worse, is in no risk of establishing his group like that.
Case in point, in spite of the stereotyping of the Premier League as an unfriendly league towards the type of striker Werner is, some of the finest goalscorers in the league are in a similar mould. Even if we declare that Vardy has an easier time thanks to how opposing teams tend to set up against Leicester, the likes of Aubameyang, Salah, Mané, Kane, Martial, Rashford, Sterling, Agüero, Gabriel Jesus, and even Tammy Abraham all play for huge teams who face 10 or eleven men behind the ball on a regular basis.
In any case, this is all guesswork following a potentially throwaway quote from a manager who has actually long stopped considering Werner in his team. Theres every reason to be excited about the arrival of one Europes greatest goalscoring forwards in the last 3 or so years (whos still just 24, mind you).
Werners many obvious property is his blistering speed and facing classic Premier League safeguarding (most likely on a cold night somewhere north) could negate the majority of that. Hes also an excellent (if perhaps often streaky) finisher, with a ton of range both in the types of shots he takes and the locations he takes them from. Even if he does not get to take pleasure in running complimentary like Jamie Vardy, he must have the requisite ability to discover the back of the web when he does get into shooting positions. Even the best-marshaled defenses will hand out chances, in some cases quite inexpensively; we just need to benefit from them– thats typically what separates constant winners from irregular groups like Chelsea at the minute.
Undoubtedly, we wont know for sure till we see Werner play in Chelsea blue, but answering this question in hindsight likewise wouldnt be very handy at all.
Werners a lot of apparent possession is his blistering speed and facing timeless Premier League safeguarding (most likely on a cold night somewhere north) might negate many of that. Case in point, in spite of the stereotyping of the Premier League as a hostile league towards the type of striker Werner is, some of the best goalscorers in the league are in a comparable mould. And again, like some of Chelseas best strikers in the Abramovich Era, Werner may just require a possibility or two to find the back of the internet, which would certainly be a welcome modification of rate.
Werners adaptability should assist him to get into shooting positions as well, consisting of the appealing prospect of being able to have fun with 2 strikers, or broad left as part of a front three. Werner as an only striker may not be the finest concept against, say Sean Dyches Burnley, however we have choices galore. And once again, like some of Chelseas best strikers in the Abramovich Era, Werner might only need a possibility or more to find the back of the net, which would definitely be a welcome modification of pace.
