Timo Werner is back in his oasis of well-being. After a difficult past few months at Chelsea, the national player is happy about his return. Before the change, he also got the blessing of the national coach.
Timo Werner sat smiling on the podium. Back in Leipzig, back at RB. At the monday evening he had flown in from London, the club announced the commitment on Tuesday. One day later, Werner was officially presented. “Nice to be back,” said the 26-year-old on Wednesday (08/10/2022) in the media round. The last 24 hours have been hectic and exciting. “It was a lot of fun coming back to Leipzig and seeing familiar faces,” said Werner.
“Very good conversation with the coach”
After two years in London he is happy to be back. “I’ve missed the typical German bakeries,” smiled the newcomer. But other things were decisive for the move to Leipzig. First: Werner knows the environment and many players. Even if he missed the pre-season, he won’t need much warm-up time and could play against 1. FC Köln on Saturday: “If the coach believes me, I’ll be happy.”
Second: He knows RB head coach Domenico Tedesco. Both are Swabians. They met when they were youngsters at VfB Stuttgart. “It was a very good conversation with Domenico Tedesco. The coach is the most important part of a player,” said Werner. He only just got to know the negative side at Chelsea. With Thomas Tuchel, the relationship was considered cold, especially in recent months.
Leipzig – a good step
Werner, who “always wants to play”, sat on the bench too often for his liking, lost joy, self-confidence and standing in the team. The topic of the World Cup next November was always on his mind. “You don’t get to enjoy a World Cup that often as a player. I want to be optimally prepared and play a lot. It was clear to me relatively quickly that Leipzig was a very good step.” Of course, he also let national coach Hansi Flick in on his Leipzig plans. He “liked the idea,” says Werner, and above all gave him one piece of advice: “Go where you feel comfortable.”
Duel behavior “trained” on the island
Has he gotten any better in the two years on the island? Werner laughs: “In any case, my game has become more robust. You have to fight back, otherwise you would have been lost in the duels.” He also worked on the training diligence, which did not always get out of hand during his first years in Leipzig, otherwise it would not have been possible in the competition in the Chelsea squad. “I’m 26 now, so you know a bit more,” jokes Werner, about whom Ralf Rangnick once said that he hadn’t seen many games from the start just by evaluating his training performance.
In any case, my game has become more robust. You have to counter it, otherwise you would have been lost in the duels.
Timo Werner | RB Leipzig
“I want to score goals”
Werner has matured on the island, improved his English and learned that sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward. He doesn’t necessarily see his move as a step backwards. “Leipzig has also developed,” he explains. The offensive is the best RB has ever had. The competition is significantly greater than two years ago. Werner isn’t worried: “I want to score goals, but I don’t want to dispute anyone’s place. I wasn’t like that before and I’m not like that today. I’ve always found my place in the team. I think it will work out well.”
Is Laimer staying because of Werner?
Especially with Konrad Laimer. The Austrian is a good friend of Werner’s. Both were recently on vacation together in the USA. “I would be happy if he played here for another year,” says Werner. It’s quite possible that Laimer will put his transfer ambitions to Bayern Munich aside.
Werner with Chelsea Champions League winner
You can’t say Werner wasn’t successful with Chelsea. He was in the starting XI for the Champions League victory in 2021, as well as in the European Supercup final against Villarreal in 2021. He also won the 2021 Club World Cup with Chelsea. However, Werner stewed for 90 minutes in the final defeat in the FA Cup last season against Liverpool on the bench.
Werner and the island – it didn’t fit
The relationship with Tuchel was not the best. Werner didn’t really warm up in London. He delivered many unlucky games and had to take heavy criticism. Apparently, the native of Stuttgart needs an oasis of well-being to play well. Werner showed that he can do it in the first four years in Leipzig. The striker scored 28 goals in his last Bundesliga season alone. In 156 competitive games for RB he has 90 goals and 40 assists. These numbers alone underline his qualities, which – unlike in England – he now wants to bring back onto the pitch permanently.
Facts and figures about Timo Werner
- 219 Bundesliga games
- 86 Bundesliga goals
- 56 Premier League games
- 10 Premier League goals
- 31 games in the Champions League
- 15 Champions League goals
