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Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole believes Blues striker Timo Werner has the ability to cause Manchester City problems in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday night.
Timo Werner was one of the hottest properties in Europe when he joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig last summer. Werner scored 34 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions for the German side last season and was believed to be the perfect signing for Chelsea due to his speed and composure in front of goal.
After a promising start to life at Stamford Bridge, Werner has suffered from a massive dip in form and a lack of confidence. The 25-year-old has managed to score just six goals in 35 appearances in the Premier League this season.
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Werner has, however, put in several impressive performances in the UEFA Champions League in recent months, as his speed has allowed Chelsea to sit back and play on the counter-attack.
Cole believes Werner's speed could hurt Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side often dominate possession, which causes them to play a high line defensively. This would offer Werner plenty of space to run in behind and cause Manchester City's defense a handful of problems.
'Timo Werner is all wrong for the way that Pep plays. No system is impenetrable. Pep plays a certain way and if you get it right, and you make the first and the second pass and you get a player as explosive as Timo and intelligent with his runs as him, making runs, you are going to get space at some point in the game," Cole told 90min.
"So, Timo Werner, for me, will probably start. He is the player to hurt them."
Manchester City favorites to beat Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final
Manchester City have already won the Premier League and EFL Cup this season. Pep Guardiola's side will be desperate to win their first-ever Champions League title on Saturday night. Their recent form makes them the favorites to win Europe's elite competition this season.
Chelsea will head into the Champions League final on the back of several poor performances in recent weeks. Losses against Leicester City in the FA Cup and Aston Villa in the Premier League indicate that the Blues have struggled in front of goal ahead of their UCL showdown.
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