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https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/11/21/
lampard--why-i-back-werner-to-overcome-big-germany-defeat

Lampard: Why I back Werner to overcome big Germany defeat

21 Nov 2020


Our head coach talks about his striker on his return from international
duty and also about Chelsea's improving defence ahead of the latest test
against Newcastle today…


https://i.imgur.com/F5gk2km.jpg


Timo Werner may have been the one Chelsea player to feature in Germany's
6-0 loss to Spain midweek which raised many an eyebrow across the globe
and knocked them out of the UEFA Nations League competition, but his club
manager Frank Lampard recalls suffering major England disappointments
during his career while keeping winning at Chelsea. He believes the
summer-signed striker has the character and talent to do similar.


Before Wednesday's big setback for his nation, Werner had scored five
goals in four games for Chelsea and followed that up with two for Germany
last weekend in a win over Ukraine.


'So there was a positive to that,' points out Lampard as he considers all
the international fixtures, before adding, 'and then Timo was part of a
performance that was really negative. I watched most of that game and I
think there would certainly be no fingers pointed individually at Timo, it
is a collective issue.


'I have been part of that in my playing career, I am very aware of it, but
he shouldn't need in my opinion much picking up because he is coming back
to a place where he is in really good form and really settling in.


https://i.imgur.com/GxWO5VY.jpg
Timo Werner scoring for Germany against Ukraine last weekend


'I have been happy with his form so far, and we have seen lots of moments
of what we brought him to the club for, which is his goalscoring prowess
but also his explosive speed. It was something I felt we were lacking last
year at times and he brought that. I only see more to come from him
because of his personality, because of his talent, and because now we are
getting time to work with him and he is getting time to make relationships
with his team-mates.'


For a player of Werner's profile, a major part of his game is making runs
off the shoulder of a defender. Therefore his colleagues need to perfect
the timing and direction of their passes to make the most of those runs.


'That is something we have been in the process of and more recently it has
been evident that is improving,' says Lampard, 'and we must keep working
on that because I have absolute faith in Timo because I think he is a
fantastic player who has had a really good start. I look forward to seeing
more of it.'


https://i.imgur.com/YgflBOM.jpg
Werner in training this week


There has also been plenty of evidence that training ground efforts on the
other part of the team's play, the defensive aspect, is paying off with
just one goal conceded in six games before the international break.


'I am pleased and there are not a million things we have changed in our
work,' explains the head coach. 'We have worked on our defensive structure
and that side of our game and we will continue to work on it. You are
always trying to develop and find ways to improve and it should always be
a mixture of praise and criticism, if there needs to be like at times last
year.


'It is not just the personnel we have brought in [during the close
season]. Thiago has been very good for us, Edouard Mendy has been
fantastic for us up to this point and Ben Chilwell similarly, but then you
are talking about a player like Kurt Zouma as well, whose levels at this
point this season are great.


'Rudiger comes in and plays very well in the Champions League. We will need
all the players, but the players, by working hard as they do, by performing
as well as they can, that in itself can hopefully bring us the confidence
that we can continue.


'But it is definitely a work in progress. I'd hate to be so happy with it
after eight games of the season. It is something we need to do over a
consistent period of time.'


While talking about Zouma and the important part he has played in the
defending this season, and at the other end of the pitch where he has
contributed three goals, Lampard is aware of a statistic that shows the
26-year-old as winning 26 of his 27 aerial duels this season, the best
ratio by anyone in the top 10 European Leagues. It is ability that may be
especially crucial today against a Newcastle side which could feature Andy
Carroll.


'I am not surprised by it but it is a fantastic stat,' says Lampard. 'The
level he [Zouma] is at, and he has to sustain it, he will be very
important and he has been important for us this season at both ends of the
pitch.


https://i.imgur.com/X2iICkB.jpg
Kurt Zouma in action against Newcastle last season


'It is something we looked at in the off-season, we could have been better
at times last season, particularly in defending our own box, and this is
the standard we need to keep. There are reasons why we have been conceding
less goals and that is a factor in it, and Kurt has been a big part of
that, but every centre-back and every player in our team has to be
switched on to the aerial threat from teams that have individuals that can
be dangerous for you in games.'

--


Hoddle: 'Matthew will be sitting up there looking down now and

loving Chelsea being winners. He'll just love Chelsea winning.'


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