Timo Werner has struggled since joining Chelsea, and the patch of bad form he had through the Autumn has now dragged on for so long that it risks defining his whole season.
Once again he was given the chance to play when the Blues took on Burnley this week, and once again the ball fell to him in a great position. But the striker smashed it well over, as he has done with almost all of his best chances this season.
On Caughtoffside they had quotes from former Chelsea player Alan Hudson, who had a pretty shocking suggestion for the former Leipzig forward.
“[Tuchel] will strive to improve [Werner and Kai Havertz], of course, and I think he needs a psychiatrist for Werner, as he really seems to be on a different planet, kind of lost in space making the simple things look so difficult. He has to work on his head more than his feet.”
While that is maybe a little extreme, it is clearly a mental issue. Werner still has the pace and the finishing to score as many as he did back in Germany, but at the moment the pressure is getting to him, and it’s just painful to watch him fluff his lines every time the ball comes to him.
Maybe a psychiatrist – or more accurately a sports psychologist – could help Timo out after all.
IMHO I don’t think the suggestion is extreme at all.
It’s not taboo, they help you understand stuff. It’s obvious that he is unhappy.
He’s a young kid away from his country, family and friends in a pandemic and is low on confidence, a psychotherapist maybe exactly what he needs.