Timo Werner can cause problems at Tottenham as Ange Postecoglou labels him a ‘really exciting’ option
It is early days, but the signs are there that Timo Werner could be a success at Tottenham during his six-month stay in North London.
Ange Postecoglou was forced to throw the January signing in at the deep end against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday 14 January.
Spurs’ manager found himself limited when it came to his forward options, leaving him with little choice but to start Werner in the 2-2 draw, despite the German having only just arrived in England.
Tottenham announced earlier that week (Tottenham Hotspur Official Website, 9 January) that they had signed the 27-year-old from RB Leipzig on a six-month loan deal with an option to make the move permanent in the summer.
Just five days later, he was making his first Premier League appearance for the club, a big ask considering the lack of football he has played in recent months.
It was Werner’s first start since a DFB Pokal clash with VfL Wolfsburg on 31 October, and considering the circumstances, he certainly made a positive account of himself, something his manager emphasised after the match.
Asked about Werner’s debut in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou said (via Tottenham Hotspur Official Website, 16 January), “He’s had two sessions with us, he hasn’t started a game for ages but I saw today I think he can be really exciting for us once he get to understand our game and gets up to speed with our training.
“You could see there were little moments today, he was always a threat and I think he will enjoy his football here. More importantly today I had no option but to start him. He was a really willing participant in it. He wanted to help. He put his hand up and said whatever I can do, I’ll do and it’s a credit to him.”
While he certainly wasn’t perfect against Erik Ten Hag’s side, Werner definitely showed promising signs.
As per Sofascore, the forward completed 91 per cent of his passes, with one of those being key, and constantly found himself in shooting positions, registering five shots in the match, although he failed to find the target on any of those occasions.
He will certainly need to improve the defensive side of his game, as he lost all six of his ground duels and was dribbled past four times, but all things considered, it was an impressive debut.
Most notably, the former Chelsea man provided the all-important assist for Rodrigo Bentancur’s equalising goal early in the second half.
As seen in the image above, Werner picked up a useful position on the left-hand side of the penalty area and spotted the run of his teammate.
He picked Bentancur out with a pinpoint pass, allowing the Uruguay international to bare down on goal and lash home an equaliser.
There is certainly room for improvement, but based on his performance at Old Trafford, Spurs supporters most definitely have cause to be excited about what Werner could bring this season.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou has another youth sensation to keep an eye on after one Under-18 forward netted in the FA Youth Cup.
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