Thomas Tuchel has urged misfiring Chelsea ace Timo Werner to begin ‘trusting his instinct more’ and stop ‘overthinking’ chances.
Werner arrived from RB Leipzig last summer for £53million to much fanfare but has endured a mixed season in front of goal after a number of glaring misses.
Another gilt-edged chance passed him by against Real Madrid and, after being questioned over the big-money signing, Tuchel asked Werner to stay positive.
‘Are we happy when he misses a chance like he did in the last game? No,’ Tuchel said in his pre-match press conference before the clash with Fulham.
‘Do we wish for more goals? Yes. Does he wish for more goals? Yes.
‘It is not about quality. It is about confidence and momentum. It is about trusting his instinct more and not overthinking it.
‘It is easier said than done. I never scored a goal in my career. If I did it was like birthday and Christmas on the same day.
‘He should keep his head up. This is what he does, this is what he used to do.
‘What is the worst case scenario when the next chance comes? That he misses the chance. Billions of people never have a chance to take. So take the next chance.’
The mishit in the Champions League semi-final summarised Werner’s woes and was the type of error which has caused his 11 goals this campaign to slip under the radar.
Christian Pulisic teed up his team-mate for a simple chance, having nodded the ball across goal to give Werner what appeared to be a simple tap-in from six yards.
The following effort was released with little conviction, however, and Thibaut Courtois stuck out a gangling leg to keep it out.
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