RB Leipzig have surprised millions worldwide, with their imperious performances in the Bundesliga. Having only secured promotion to the German top flight this season, the Die Bullen have taken the footballing world by storm and currently sit in the 2nd spot, only three points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
The side’s rise to the top of the table has been fuelled by their enthralling, yet effective attacking performances (they are the 3rd highest goalscorers in the Bundesliga thus far) and one man, in particular, has been shining brightly for the club, German attacker Timo Werner.
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In this segment, we take a look at the style of play, strengths, and weaknesses of the striker, who is fast establishing himself as one of the brightest prospects in European football.
Background
Werner was born in Stuttgart on 6th March 1996 and joined his boyhood club VfB Stuttgart in 2002 at the tender age of 6. Diminutive in size, though the player might not have had the physical attributes of several other stars, his pace and skill on the ball ensured that he caught the eye of the club’s youth managers.
He was drafted into the U-17 side in 2011 at the age of 15 and continued his impressive performances, scoring 31 goals and assisting another 5 in 34 appearances for the youth side over the next year and a half.
He was promoted to the U-19 side the following season and his breathtaking performances ensured that he was deservedly handed a senior debut on 1st August 2013 in a UEFA Europa League qualification match against PFC Botev Plovdiv.
Style of play and strengths
The German was initially deployed as a winger at Stuttgart and that had a lot to do with his strong traits as a footballer. His speed as well as ability to take defenders on and beat them with pace as well as skill on the ball, yielded healthy returns for the player as well as the club.
However, the pressure of performing at the highest level seemed to have gotten the better of him at Stuttgart, and only a move to his current club RB Leipzig provided the player with an opportunity to raise his performances.
The move to the Red Bull Arena seems to have rejuvenated the 20-year-old attacker’s career as he is being afforded the freedom to display his skills and he has not disappointed thus far.
In the current season, he has been deployed as one of Leipzig’s two strikers and the results are there for everyone to see. With 10 goals in 17 appearances thus far, Werner is the league’s 4th highest goal scorer. He has put in industrious performances at the top of the Leipzig line-up and has been a nightmare for defenders.
Wener is intelligent on and off the ball and makes space for himself as well as his teammates with his runs. His partnership with Poulsen has demonstrated his ability to link up excellently with his attacking colleagues and the fact that he is amongst the top five creators in the league for Leipzig goes to show the potential he has as a creative force.
Weaknesses
Passing is often deemed to be strikers’ worst attributes. Perhaps, it is because of the tight spaces that they operate in or the fact that they are often being fed passes rather than being the feeders themselves. However, Werner can be really awful with his passing and has the tendency to infuriate his teammates and fans with his wayward passing and below par crossing.
Another major chink in his armour is his tendency to make wayward runs off the ball. He can prove to be detrimental to his side’s creative play by venturing far beyond defenders and falling in to the offside trap set up by the opposition.
However, the player, who turns 21 soon, still has solid years of development ahead of him as a footballer and with the passage of time, he will improve on these aspects of his game.
What comes next?
Werner is only in the first year of his four-year-long contract with Leipzig and it would not be prudent to think that he could already be on his way out to greener pastures. However, football is a game that has a tendency to surprise quite often and should the youngster continue to perform the way he has so far, do not be surprised if he is subject to a big-money move.
For the player, though, now is the time to establish himself as one of the regulars in the German national team. Yes, there is a lot of competition for spots and this could be his biggest challenge yet, but he has the skills and the willingness and it is only a matter of when and not if, with him.
