Werner was included in Joachim Low’s final 26-man squad for the European Championship despite an underwhelming first season in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Timo Werner must learn to be more single-minded
Former Germany boss Berti Vogts has told Timo Werner how he can silence his critics at Euro 2020 by urging the Chelsea forward to be “more selfish” in the final third. Werner was included in Joachim Low’s final 26-man squad for the European Championship despite an underwhelming first season in the Premier League with Chelsea. The 25-year-old won the Champions League with the Blues but saw his finishing ability called into question regularly. Vogts believes he must learn to be more single-minded when he gets into dangerous positions. After asking Werner to offer some advice ahead of Germany’s Euros opener against France on Tuesday, Vogts told reporters: “Many accuse him of not scoring enough, and he certainly has to work on that.”
‘Timo Werner: be more selfish!’
“As a striker, you shouldn’t think about using the man next to you first; scoring a goal has to be your first goal, always. Because a striker is measured by goals, it’s heroic when you score the decisive goal. So, Timo Werner: be more selfish!” The 74-year-old, who was part of West Germany’s 1984 World Cup-winning squad before guiding his country towards the European title as manager in 1996, insists that Werner should start against France. “I would like to see Timo Werner upfront,” added Vogts. “He can get into the important spaces in front of the goal with speed, right there, in the centre, the French are vulnerable. He can do a lot with his strength one-on-one.”
Chelsea paid £47.5 million to bring Werner to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig last summer, and he went onto appear in 52 games across all competitions in his debut campaign at the club. The forward has earned a regular spot in the squad with his impressive work rate and movement upfront, with 15 assists, but he only managed to find the net himself 12 times, including just six times in the Premier League. Werner has picked up 39 caps for Germany since his international debut in 2017, scoring 16 goals. His latest effort came in Die Mannschaft’s 7-1 thrashing of Latvia in their final Euros warm-up game last Monday.