Werner claims he shouldn't be judged on goals after firing blanks on Spurs debut
Timo Werner says he should not be judged just on his goals.
Werner, 27, became better known for his high-profile misses than his success at Chelsea where he was also never knowingly onside. But Werner arrived at Tottenham with a new outlook on his contribution to the team and believes his work rate, assists and creating space for teammates is vital.
Germany forward Werner is on loan at Tottenham from RB Leipzig and if the six-month audition goes well then Spurs have the option to sign him permanently.
The incentive is clear for Werner who worked hard on his debut at Manchester United, and provided an assist for Rodrigo Bentancur in the 2-2 draw but could not take either of his two clear chances.
When asked whether Chelsea fans saw the best of him during his two years at Stamford Bridge, Werner said: "That's hard to say. There was always criticism of my game there. At the beginning, I also started like I did here, from the left side. I think a lot of people wanted to see me scoring more goals.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
"But at Spurs, with the tactics we have and the way the manager wants me to play, I can bring a lot to the group, also with my assists and maybe by not being the main man who scores the goals. To make deep runs to create space for the others and like today to create an assist."
Werner scored ten goals in 56 Premier League appearances for Chelsea over two seasons but, more significantly, played a part in them winning the Champions League in 2021.
The jibes were always about his finishing and being constantly caught offside. But he thinks some of the criticism is unfair from his time at Chelsea. Even Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou admitted that they would not have been able to sign Werner this time had it been going well for him at RB Leipzig.
Timo Werner made his Spurs debut against Man United (Paul Currie/REX/Shutterstock)Werner said: "Maybe sometimes it's not about the fans or the manager. Sometimes it’s about you, how you are getting things together, how you look at your stats and think, 'I wanted to score more goals'.
"I think now I'm a bit older, I see how important assists and deep runs are for the team. I also want to score goals but it's not the main part of my game anymore. I can bring so much more, especially in this kind of tactic for the group."
Werner admitted that Tottenham wanted all three points at Old Trafford but said he was happy with his debut and also said his move to Spurs is bigger than just wanting to get back into the German squad.
He added: "First of all, it was not the main point of coming to Spurs, to go to the Euros. Of course, it's a big event you want to be part of but I wanted to be part of Spurs.
"When I spoke to the manager, I wanted to be part of this group, I wanted to be part of playing for this manager, these tactics. That was the biggest reason for coming to Spurs, not playing the Euros, although of course that's a big thing and where you want to be.
"We wanted to get the three points, that's the only not-so-good thing but we did a very good game. It's not easy to win at Old Trafford and yeah I'm very pleased with my game. I enjoyed it out there and with the assist, it was a very good debut for Spurs."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
