Former Germany striker Jurgen Klinsmann has urged Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel to continue giving Timo Werner “plenty of opportunities”, despite the forward’s struggles this season.
The Blues forked out £47.5m to sign Werner from RB Leipzig last summer but he has struggled to replicate the form he showed in Germany, netting just 11 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions.
Werner was unable to find the back of the net in the first leg of Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday, spurning a golden opportunity early on to give his side the lead.
Despite Werner’s struggles, Klinsmann is adamant that Chelsea have a quality striker on their hands on their hands and he believes he deserves to be backed.
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Speaking to ESPN FC, Klinsmann said: “I have total trust in him because he knows where to be in the right time and right now, here and there, he misses one in that specific moment.
“That’s something to deal with for a striker and you have to kind of just think about the next opportunity that comes along.
“You know, Michael Jordan said he missed more shots than he scored. And for Timo Werner it’s just like if you fail in moments it makes you only stronger.
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“The kid is good. The kid has a tremendous amount of drive and talent and he knows where the ball will fall in the box and he can also make things happen himself with his speed and going at people, so I totally have trust in Timo Werner.
“He will go through that stage and who knows, maybe he will score in the next game in the second leg or in the final of the Champions League.
“He was very young when he was 21 winning the golden boot at the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017. He scored almost 100 goals in the German Bundesliga and he’s only 25.
“The kid is good and the kid will prove it, but obviously he has to deal with the criticism when you miss a big chance, it’s just normal, like goalkeepers do as well when they make a mistake we are all over them. But I hope he gets plenty of opportunities going forward.”
