Timo Werner will be praying that more starts come his way after getting the nod in last Sunday's 3-0 win over Manchester United. A huge day for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham as they put the Red Devils to the sword at Old Trafford with a dominant performance, the German played his part in the victory with a good display down the left in Son Heung-min's absence.
Werner did have a couple of really good openings to add to the scoreline but both attempts lacked the conviction required to beat Andre Onana. Aside from those missed chances, it was not hard to see why Postecoglou plumped for the 28-year-old in his starting XI as it allowed Spurs to keep the same shape, start with two pacey wingers in the team and it also stopped them taking Dejan Kulusevski out of a position he has thrived in of late.
Performing well at Old Trafford on his Spurs debut back in January, Werner was once again bright against United and linked up really well with Destiny Udogie and others down his side. Doing an awful lot of things right but just missing the final action at key times, it is those moments that some fans unfortunately remember.
One of those came late on in the contest after twice getting the better of his marker down Tottenham's left, only to then pull the ball behind a couple of his teammates, including Dominic Solanke, who were free just on the edge of the area. The initial play from Werner was excellent but again it was the last action that let him down.
Going back to his first effort on goal, perhaps having too much time to think on the ball proved to be a bad thing for him or it could be put down to a complete lack of confidence or even a lack of sharpness. Such a prolific goalscorer in his time in Germany after scoring 113 goals in 213 games for RB Leipzig, goals have been so much harder to come by for the attacker since moving to the Premier League.
Unfortunately for him, all the talk has been about some high-profile misses rather than putting the ball in the back of the net. What Werner does bring to the team is hard work and energy, though, and sometimes that can be overlooked.
The ex-Stuttgart man did make an impact at Tottenham immediately after joining on loan from RB Leipzig in January, contributing two goals and three assists in 14 games. It was no surprise to see why Postecoglou wanted him back for the 2024/25 campaign as he gives the team more experience, cover for Son down the left side with a lot more games on the calendar this time around and he also possesses the qualities that the head coach looks for in a winger.
Werner has so far made six appearances this season, with four of them coming from the substitutes' bench. The player has tended to be introduced in the final 10-15 minutes of Premier League matches and that is barely enough time to get up to the speed of the game let alone make a big impact on proceedings.
His first start of the season at Coventry City was one to forget but his showing at Manchester United, aside from those two missed chances of course, should help give him a confidence boost that he quite clearly requires. Another start looks likely to come his way on Thursday evening when Tottenham take on Ferencvaros in their second Europa League game.
In terms of helping him get a much-needed confidence boost, this could possibly be the game with opportunities likely to be there on goal for him. Whether he scores a 30-yard screamer or the ball comes off his backside from one-yard out, a goal could make all the difference to Werner right now.
A shrewd signing for the club back in January, the Stuttgart-born player still has a big role to play for Tottenham over the course of the season. Postecoglou brings out the very best in his players and he will be determined to get even more out of Werner, starting in Thursday's game at Ferencvaros.
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