It seems like just yesterday that Timo Werner was signing for Chelsea, but now he’s got a good few games under his belt and we have a good idea of how he plays.
One thing we’ve noticed is the way he sometimes slows to a stop when picking the ball up out wide. It seems counter-intuitive, given his blistering pace.
Former Chelsea striker David Speedie was the subject of our big interview last week, and he explained exactly what he likes about Werner, and just why the German slows down only to burst forward again:
“He’s never static, he’s always on the move. And when he is static, it’s for a reason, he slows the defender down and then he’s gone again. He’s a very clever player for his age,” Speedie explained.
It all makes sense if you think about it. Werner backs his acceleration from a standing start so much that he’d rather have the bigger taller, defender stationary so that he can really throw them off.
It’s an interesting little trick, and something we will definitely be keeping an eye out for in future games.
Werner is top quality already despite his age.