TURBO TIMO WILL TERRIFY TEAMS

TIMO WERNER was caught offside more than any other player in Europe’s elite leagues last season. He was flagged 43 times for RB Leipzig and last night we saw him caught twice inside the opening seven minutes for Chelsea. But when he times it right, those runs behind are terrifying for defenders and goalkeepers. The 24-year-old was given the nickname ‘Turbo Timo’ earlier in his career for a very good reason — because he is rapid. When Brighton gave the ball away in the 21st minute and Jorginho played a pass through, it looked slightly ahead of Werner. But Chelsea’s new £53million forward was on to it like a flash. He accelerated and made sure he got there before Maty Ryan, who brought him down for the penalty. Then, in first-half stoppage time, with few other options, Werner burst away from Adam Webster and forced Ryan into a save. Webster was left trailing his opponent by five yards but he won’t be the last Premier League defender to succumb to the attacker’s pace. A number of his 28 league goals for Leipzig in 2019-20 involved him running in behind. That is what Frank Lampard wants from him, too. I know what it’s like to go to Chelsea, with that pressure on you to score goals. You can get stick if it doesn’t go according to plan. Werner couldn’t get on the scoresheet last night but he did make his mark. He showed how hard he is willing to work for this team.