Germany is no stranger to greatness when it comes to the football field. This is the nation that won the World Cup 4 times. It has consistently produced some of the best players on the planet. From people like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller in the earlier days, to Michael Ballack and Schweinsteiger in more recent times, Germany is one of, if not the greatest footballing nation. On the club level, it is just as entertaining and full of greatness, thanks to the Bundesliga. Teams like Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, etc have always made the German League fun to watch. They have a lot of competitive teams, and having that level of competition is why Bayern Munich is the team with the 4th highest no. of UCLs. Most recently though, while players like Paco Alcacer and Robert Lewandowski have been laying siege with their goal-scoring, a fresher face has entered the fray: that of Timo Werner. The 23-year old striker from 5th placed RB Leipzig is really making a name for himself in the Bundesliga and world football in general.
Talent and Numbers:
Timo Werner has developed into a hungry and opportune striker. He’s smart enough to know his strengths and how to integrate them into the game seamlessly which is why he favours the left and centre positions and scores so many goals in those positions. His sense of positioning is sharp as well and he has a penchant for picking out the offensive gaps off the ball. Werner seems to have a natural eye for picking out the vulnerable spots in defense and maximizes his chances in the process. Of course, this would all be for naught if his finishing weren’t up to par. Unfortunately for the opposition, his finishing might perhaps be even stronger than his positioning. His one-touch skills are phenomenal which makes him a great receiver for the trickier balls and his composure, especially in one on one situations is astounding. He seems to exude a sense of calm when he’s advancing towards goals and it’s that level-headedness combined with precise and clever shooting skills, enables him to put the ball past the keeper on multiple positions. There’s also the matter of his ball control and ability to do layoffs which has come in handy multiple times for RB Leipzig.
Naturally, he has put up some great numbers in the Bundesliga and International football. In a total of 119 performances, he’s had a whopping 68 goals. He had around a quarter the number of goals in almost as many matches when he was at Stuttgart just showing how much he has matured as a footballer. In the 2018-19 season, he scored 16 goals and 7 assists in just 30 matches. Werner managed 3.6 Shots per Game along with an average of 1 dribble and 1.2 key passes. He even started off this season with a bang, with 5 goals in just 7 matches, 3.6 shots per game, 2.1 key passes and 1.3 average dribbles per game in the Bundesliga. Even with the German national team, he has earned 27 caps and scored 10 goals. Nothing short of impressive and expected. Naturally maintaining that level of form isn’t easy but if he can, the footballing world will be in for a treat.
What the future holds:
Timo Werner is just 23, so speculating on where he might go not only physically in the sense of clubs but in terms of footballing skill as well is certainly enticing. His finishing could improve even further and he might be Germany’s next great striker since someone like Mario Gomez. His teamwork is certainly great and he could easily fill that role that Mario Gomez did, especially in his heyday. He probably won’t stay long in RB Leipzig given how the footballing world works. Talent, once it is identified doesn’t stay in the same place for long. He could easily become a Dortmund or Bayern Munich player in the future, especially considering the latter’s penchant for buying the Bundesliga’s up and comers. Werner could even move out of the country in the future to England or Spain. It’s not crazy to think Werner might be clad in Real Madrid’s white or Manchester City’s red, come next season. He might even move in the next transfer window, considering how fast players move to greener, once they are recognized. On the off chance he does stay at RB Leipzig, he would certainly improve the team. His skill looks like it’s still improving despite being great, to begin with, and he could become that next big striker that takes the world by storm, like Aguero did when he went to Man City, or Dimitar Berbatov in earlier Man United days. Of course, that is a really high level but looking at what he’s doing currently, he’s a strong candidate to reach epic heights.
