Frankfurt am Main (dpa) – After the failed third attempt, Timo Werner has crawled away with his head down. Lost him once, on horseback twice. This was the striker’s record of unsatisfactory scoring chances in training for the national football team in Frankfurt.
Werner had broken free at high speed and then missed the goal. What the numerous critics of German number 9 might provide arguments, Hansi Flick might not worry too much about.
The national team coach believes in the qualities of his great forward, albeit for lack of alternatives. “He always creates opportunities in front of goal. He breaks free skillfully, ”Flick said before Friday’s Nations League game (20:45 / ZDF) in Leipzig against Hungary.
Flick warns: “Players must ensure World Cup form”
Leipzig. That should be the magic word for Werner when he returned from Chelsea to his former club RB in August before matchday two of the Bundesliga. Finally leaving behind frustration and sadness as an extra player in London, especially ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. That was the hope. The change approved by Flick has not yet paid off for 26-year-old Werner. A goal in six games with the club is unsatisfactory for the striker himself.
Leipzig. In the last international match in his home arena, Werner – still a satisfied Chelsea pro – scored twice in a 3-1 win over Ukraine. Back then, as now against Hungary, it was a Nations League match.
Everyone – not just Werner – must secure World Cup form at the club in the coming weeks, Flick warned. The personal assignment of the national team coach to Werner is: “It would be good for him and for us to improve efficiency in the final stages in the weeks leading up to the World Cup.” Werner has not yet scored a goal in the World Cup or European Championship.
The DFB-Elf lacks the classic striker
The national team coach has to deal with the fact that classic strikers like Poland’s Robert Lewandowski or England’s Harry Kane don’t currently exist in Germany. A defect that Bayern professional Joshua Kimmich does not want to overestimate. “We have a nine with Timo. We have Kai (Havertz), who also plays up front in his club, and we also have another forward Lukas (Nmecha). We already have many opportunities, ”said the Bayern professional.
What a calm Flick. The numbers speak for Werner. He has scored eight goals in eleven games in the past 13 months as a national team manager. More than anyone else. In total, Werner has scored 24 goals in 53 appearances for the DFB shirt, which is also a very good number. 20 of those successes came in competitive games, which is when he mattered.
In 2017, Werner’s forward grew internationally. When he won the Confederations Cup in Russia, he received the Golden Boot for best striker. It seemed he had been found a legitimate successor to DFB and World Cup top scorer Miroslav Klose. But in the big tournaments Werner is still zero. No goals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. No EM goals last year in Munich and London. This is about to change in Qatar.
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