Why Werner's chaotic energy is perfect for Spurs

Alex Keble looks at the reasons why Tottenham Hotspur made the loan signing of Timo Werner.

Player analysis: Timo Werner

Timo Werner to Tottenham Hotspur just makes sense.

Plenty will agree, but not kindly. Many will recall Werner’s wastefulness at Chelsea and align his sometimes frustrating performances with the nebulous term, "Spursy".

But Ange Postecolgou’s Spurs don’t conform to that stereotype and Werner isn’t the caricature he is made out to be.

No, the loan move makes sense because Werner is a clever and hard-working player in the mould of a Postecoglou forward, representing a risk-free option as Spurs look to adapt to a thinning squad.

Son Heung-min is at the Asian Cup for the next four weeks while James Maddison, Manor Solomon and Alejo Veliz are out injured, leaving Spurs approaching something of a crisis. Bryan Gil was the only senior attacker named on the bench for the FA Cup third-round win against Burnley on Friday.

They need bodies through the door and Werner is a smart acquisition despite his career flat-lining since he departed Chelsea in 2022.

He amassed 12 goals and assists in 27 Bundesliga matches for RB Leipzig in 2022/23, which isn’t a bad return, but this season has started only two matches and played a total of 207 minutes.

Since October, he has made two substitute appearances, totalling 39 minutes. So Werner isn’t exactly match-fit.

But he’s a good fit for Postecoglou’s tactics, so much so he could be a player reborn in his second spell in the Premier League.

Werner’s speed and movement suits Spurs’ tactics

Not unlike Darwin Nunez, rather than focus on Werner’s misses, we ought to credit the frequency with which he finds himself in those positions.

During his two years at Chelsea, between 2020 and 2022, he was the 10th-highest ranked player for non-penalty expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes, with 0.42 among those who played at least 2,500 minutes, according to The Analyst.

Werner is both very quick and direct, regularly making intelligent arcing runs in behind the defensive line to arrive in dangerous areas at the right moment.

In 2020/21, the last season he played regularly in the Premier League (29 starts), his 179 attacking third runs were the seventh-most in the division, while his 287 runs into the box ranked sixth.

In fact, so desperate is he to break the final line, that Werner averaged 0.9 offsides per 90 during his time in the top flight, the fourth-most of any player to have played 2,500 minutes. Postecoglou will want to curb that, but it’s an encouraging indicator nonetheless.

That Leipzig-patented tactical preference is exactly what Postecoglou is after. His Spurs players are always looking for a killer pass in behind and taking the most direct route to goal whenever possible, with the forwards, midfielders, and even full-backs attempting the sort of bursting movements that Werner has perfected.

Spurs have hit 50 direct attacks this season, the second-highest in the division, and their 58 through-balls ranks second.

They also look to dribble regularly, urgently carrying the ball into advanced areas in order to disrupt the opposition. This is reflected by the stats: Spurs' 496 progressive carries are the second-best, while they top the charts for attempted take-ons and successful take-ons, with 462 and 208 respectively.

In short, Spurs want to sprint into open grass, preventing opponents from hunching in a low block by causing waves of chaotic attacking energy.

Chaotic energy is definitely in Werner’s locker. He should revel in that extra space, just as Son has done, the South Korean hitting 0.91 goals involvements per 90 this season, the best of his career.

Werner fits into pressing style

One of Spurs' primary means of playing at speed in the final third is winning the ball high and attacking purposefully following the transition.

Their PDDA (passes per defensive action, which measures the intensity of a team’s pressing) of 9.7 is the second-lowest in the Premier League this season, they top the charts for high turnovers (203), and rank joint-second for shot-ending high turnovers (37). 

What’s more, Spurs are also No 1 for possessions won in the final third, with 129, and tackles in the attacking third, recording a total of 63.

Werner fits in this regard, too. He is a hard worker trained in the RB Leipzig school of counter-pressing. Thomas Tuchel certainly never had any issues with his ability to press while playing for Chelsea.

More importantly, his background at Leipzig means Werner is very good at anticipating a turnover and helping his team-mates take advantage of the attacking transition at breakneck speed.

Werner might not be the most active defender - he ranked 18th in the Premier League for pressures in the final third, with 300, in 2020/21 – but he makes excellent use of high-pressing systems like Postecoglou’s.

Postecoglou’s man-management could help Werner’s finishing

There is no getting away from the fact Werner isn’t the best finisher.

He managed a meagre 10 goals in two Premier League seasons for Chelsea, scoring a goal every 389 minutes, or 4.3 full matches.

His shots were worth 18.3 xG in that time, which means he underperformed against his expected goals by 8.3 – which is the second-worst record of any Premier League player between 2020 and 2022.

However, Postecoglou has a knack for making players better, and his famed man-management skills have already turning around the fortunes of another Spurs forward, Richarlison.

The Brazilian is scoring at a career-high rate of 0.59 per 90 this season and assisting at a career-high rate of 0.29 per 90. Put more simply, Richarlison scored a single league goal in 27 matches in his debut season at Spurs – but has already scored six in 2023/24.

That partly reflects the additional confidence Spurs players get from playing such an adventurous and daring style, which might explain why they have scored 39 goals from 35.2 xG this season.

Will Werner rediscover scoring form?

Perhaps, then, Werner will similarly be boosted, rediscovering the form of his heyday at Leipzig in 2019/20, when he scored 28 Bundesliga goals from a 21.2 xG.

Certainly Werner will get chances. Spurs have had the joint-most shots (319) in the Premier League.

Put it all together and Werner makes sense as a temporary Son replacement, especially considering he could feature out wide, too.

In Postecoglou’s system the left winger has a simplified task of holding width and making diagonal runs towards the box - which suits Werner - and Frank Lampard regularly played him on the left in 2020/21.

Werner will happily fill that role, meaning he can interchange positions with Richarlison just as Son has done.

On a short loan deal to bolster a thinning squad, signing an established player with something to prove in England is an astute move from Spurs.

With a bit of luck, or a bit of Postecoglou magic, it could even turn out to be inspired.