The boys in blue are back. In a time of great financial uncertainty, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has decided to capitalise on a weakened market by flexing his purchasing power. The Blues are in the process of completing deals for Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Jadon Sancho, and Timo Werner, having already announced Hakim Ziyech.
Timo Werner is one of the hottest commodities in world football and the Blues have won the race for his signature. The reason the 24-year-old is so sought after is due to his exceptional strike rate, versatility and rapid in behind movement.
In this stop-start season, Werner has scored 31 goals in 42 appearances, firmly placing him as one of the most prolific forwards in Europe. If that was not enough, the German has also provided 10 assists in those games. In a Chelsea team managed by Frank Lampard, Werner’s ability to play across all of the front three will be a useful asset and help facilitate the fluid football the Englishman wants to implement.
Here’s how Chelsea can line up with new signing Timo Werner.
4-3-3
Frank Lampard has shown throughout the season that he is not afraid to switch up his line-ups tactically. Depending on the compactness or the shape of the opponents. A 4-3-3 gives Chelsea not only attacking freedom but a compact midfield that can look to negate the threat of counter-attacks. In this setup, Werner would be the focal point of the attack with Callum Hudson-Odoi providing width on the right and Mount cutting inside to overload the central areas.
N’Golo Kante would also offer support through late runs from midfield while Matteo Kovačić focuses on the quickness of Chelsea’s transition up the pitch. If Lampard felt he needed a more physical presence upfront or wanted a target man, he could bring on Tammy Abraham and shift Werner out wide into an inside forward role. That is where the German’s versatility comes in useful as he is interchangeable across the front three.
4-1-2-1-2
The 4-4-2 diamond allows Chelsea to deploy a tight and more compact midfield. This formation encourages teams to play intricate passes in the middle and look to create 4v2 overloads centrally.
A 4-1-2-1-2 relies on close control, speed of thought and crisp passing. The signing of Timo Werner also allows Chelsea to deploy a front two alongside Abraham. Werner’s intelligent movement would see him make runs into the channels in a ploy to draw out defenders and break down low blocks.
4-2-3-1
A 4-2-3-1 provides many of the same benefits as the 4-3-3 but it, in turn, allows Lampard to deploy a #10 behind Werner. This would help Werner to play on the shoulder of the defender, timing his runs strategically. If the Blues are playing against a low-block, Werner would not need to drift out wide but focus on getting in behind the centre-backs.
However, on the counter-attack, Werner’s pace would aid Chelsea’s transition up the pitch if he were to drift out wide. The 4-2-3-1 gives Lampard many options especially with a forward that can provide much more than a goalscoring threat.
