Timo Werner left Chelsea a year ago, but after a curious spell at the club it’s always interesting to hear his opinions on his former club and things that are going on there.
Speaking in a long interview on SportBild, the striker reflected on Chelsea’s season now and in his time there. He’s on international duty, and of course is no longer a Blues player, so he can
“I think, no matter how things have gone for Kai [Havertz] at Chelsea, he always got his minutes. The team will move back to where they belong over the next few years, where we were a year or two ago.
“For me, the team, as it is, is still one of the best in Europe. I think they have spent a lot of money now. There are still a lot of players with whom I won the Champions League back then.
“There are ups and downs, especially in the Premier League. If things go in the wrong direction, you can quickly end up like Chelsea. But I believe that this team can recover quickly.”
His comments on Kai Havertz, his countryman and Chelsea contemporary, are interesting – and perhaps slightly pointed. Havertz has certainly “got his minutes” – maybe Timo thinks he deserved more.
Perhaps history will judge us to have been harsh on Werner. He certainly missed some clangers, but the team’s problems with scoring goals started before he came here and continues now long after he has departed, so we can’t blame it all on him.
That’s exactly how I interpreted Timo’s comment. He feels like Havertz has gotten minutes that he hasn’t necessarily earned, and HE’S DEAD RIGHT! Havertz definitely doesn’t deserve to be the the starting #9 week in and week out based on his production (or lack thereof). BUT Havertz finds himself in the supremely fortunate position of having no real competition. Auba was a clear bust almost immediately, and after Broja went down with injury and the Jan window closed without a new striker being brought in, Havertz was the only viable option to fill the void. Or, put another way, Havertz was the least bad option remaining.
All that said, I don’t think Timo deserves to feel aggrieved. If memory serves, he was given more than his fair share of opportunities and just couldn’t stop choking in front of goal.