It has been a tough season for German international. However, the Chelsea manager supports the young forward and feels that his contribution to this team is far beyond that just scoring goals.
Timo Werner, who has netted 12 goals this season, played a crucial role in the Blues win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals second leg. He also worked tirelessly in the recent win against Manchester City. But people mostly judge him by the number of goals he has scored this season compared to the 34 goals he netted at RB Leipzig in his last season at the Bundesliga.
Right after the Blues defeated the Premier League leaders Manchester City in what was a Champions League final pre-match, Tuchel spoke in support of Werner.
“In the last week he’s really adapted well to the situations. The way he works he’s relentless. He really wants it and I am very happy with his performance today.
Tuchel said of Werner to BBC Sport.
He added to Sky Sports:
“Werner was working like a dog, he was really working hard. He gave them a hard time with his runs.”
In a season where Pep Guardiola’s men have triumphed over almost every team across all competitions, Chelsea has now beaten them twice. Once in the FA Cup semifinal and now in the Premier League. So Tuchel’s men will have that psychological edge over the Cityzens when they take the field on the eve of the Champions League final at Istanbul.
Just like in the FA Cup semifinals, Hakim Ziyech scored against City again and Marcos Alonso also scored to overturn the lead they had in the first half courtesy of Raheem Sterling’s goal. The reaction from the players after trailing in the first half meant everything for Tuchel as he lauded the players for their mentality.
“I think the second half was a fantastic response to the last five minutes of the first half where we almost lost it all,” he said to the BBC. To me it was a clear 0-0 half but suddenly we did one decisive mistake and maybe the match becomes out of reach at half-time.
“With every minute we gained confidence and quality. We got better and better. It was a tough battle and once we got the equaliser we never stopped attacking. [The winning goal] was a huge reward.”
The former Paris Saint-German manager also appreciated the players and the work they have done on their fitness. The Blues kept going throughout the game and somehow secured the winning goal in the dying moments of the game. He also indicated how the players have that sense of urgency and hunger to keep going even at the last minute to secure those important three points.
“This tells us we can rely on our fitness which is a fantastic feeling at the end of a season. We can also rely on our team spirit, we keep going. This team never stops, they don’t want to lose, they want it that bad,”
Tuchel signed off.
This win helps Chelsea climb to the third position in the Premier League points table, a point ahead of fourth placed Leicester City. It is surprising how things have changed in a space of three months, once the Blues were struggling in and around 10th position and now are in the Champions League spot.
The result also meant that the Blues did not allow Manchester City to seal the Premier League title at the Etihad Stadium as they needed a win. With 80 points, Pep Guardiola’s men have almost secured the title for this season but now they will have to travel to St. James Park to face Newcastle United with the hoping of sealing the title there with a win.
This match acted as more of a teaser for the all important Champions League final which will be played on May 29 in Istanbul at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. Chelsea will get a chance to do the triple over Manchester City whereas the Cityzens will look for vengeance and also their maiden Champions League title.
