Werner ´angry´ but must put his chin up, says Chelsea boss Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has told misfiring Chelsea forward Timo Werner that it is no time to cry over his form in front of goal.

Werner has struggled to replicate the form that saw him score 28 goals in 34 Bundesliga appearances for RB Leipzig last season since joining the Blues in a £47.5million deal.

The Germany international scored the only goal in a vital 1-0 win at West Ham on Saturday – his sixth in 31 Premier League outings.

However, his demons in front of goal returned during Tuesday’s 1-1 Champions League semi-final draw at Real Madrid as he volleyed a glorious close-range opportunity too close to Thibaut Courtois.

Werner’s four shots were more than any of his Chelsea team-mates, with two on target and one blocked before he was withdrawn in favour of compatriot Kai Havertz midway through the second-half.

“He missed a big one at West Ham, now he missed another big one here,” Tuchel told a news conference after Karim Benzema’s well-taken volley cancelled out Christian Pulisic’s 14th-minute opener.

“That does not help, but it also does not help to cry about it or to regret it all the time.

“It’s like this. There are millions of people who have harder things to deal with than chances that you miss.

“This is the good thing about sports. Nobody cares tomorrow. Today we were sad, we were angry in the moment.

“This is normal. He is angry, he is maybe disappointed. Tomorrow he has a free day and then the next day he has to put his chin up.”

Werner has scored six non-penalty goals for Chelsea across the Premier League and Champions League, with his shots in those competitions adding up to an expected goals (xG) figure of 13.4 – underlining his woes.

However, the 25-year-old’s selfless running and work rate has been valuable to Tuchel since he succeeded Frank Lampard in January.

Although he did not create any chances for his colleague in the Spanish capital, Werner has supplied eight assists amid his Premier League and Champions League efforts this term.

“He is a professional guy, he is a top guy. He works hard, he is in the positions and from there on we go,” Tuchel added.

“We will never stop pushing, we will never stop believing. I have the feeling that everybody accepts the situation as it is.

“As a striker it is easy – you score the next game and nobody speaks.”