Timo Werner: Germany have finally found a true striker

There is a new gem on the block and his name is Timo Werner. Miroslav Klose was the last true striker that Germany had. He went on to ink his name in World Cup history by eclipsing Ronaldo De Lima’s haul of 15 goals in the last competition and that was it for him.

Klose is now the tournament’s record goalscorer with 16 goals. He shone with an unrivalled predatory instinct and the fox-in-the-box striker made the 18-yard box his own. If you left him unmarked, you will wish you hadn't because he surely knew where the goal post was.

Klose went on to score 71 goals in 137 games posting his best return in 2006 when he won the golden boot in the World’s premiere competition- he scored 13 goals that calendar year.

Klose who is known for his heading prowess netted all five goals with his head in the 2002 World cup. He is a proven goal scorer and has delivered his best performances as a player for the national team on a consistent basis.

Since the retirement of the former Bayern man in 2014, Germany has failed to find a suitable replacement. Although Thomas Muller has relatively done well, he has not been able to produce the level of performance that made him so highly revered in the 2010 edition. All others have huffed and puffed.

It is a long list that includes Mario Gomez and a false 9 formation couldn’t totally solve the situation as no one truly mastered the art like Klose did in the Black and White.

Timo Werner is not only becoming a suitable replacement but an upgrade on the leading marksmen of the Die Mannschaft. He is the type of striker that teammates would relish to play with on any given day.

Werner rose through the ranks at hometown club, VfB Stuttgart notably making his debut professionally as a 17-year-old against PFC Botev Plovdiv in 2013 Europa League qualification rounds. In the process, he became the youngest player to play for the club.

He was swooped up by newly-promoted club RB Leipzig in 2016 for a reported €10 million helping the team secure champions league qualification and a second place finish in their first season as a Bundesliga club finding the back of the net 21 times from just 31 appearances in the Bundesliga with 5 assists to the good.

No German reached those heights last season.

He has surpassed expectations by transcending his club form to the national team. A player that holds possession and brings others into play, the highly rated youngster can hit it from both outside the box and in the area.

He is astute tactically for a player of his age and so versatile he is that he is as outstanding on the wings as he is as a striker.

Most importantly, he has that mesmerizing pace evidenced by the goal he scored early this season leaving two defenders for dead, a run reminiscent of what Gareth Bale did against Barcelona in 2014 El Classico. Surprisingly, at 5 ft 11, he heads the ball admirably. He is the modern day striker.

Werner, a spearhead of the Leipzig team that almost did a “Leicester” in the Bundesliga last season has since continued in the same vein this season.

He has hit 5 goals in 6 Bundesliga appearances since the start of the campaign and although things are not looking good for them in the Champions League, he has not only performed well but has also grown in stature since making his debut for the National team.

He has played for Germany at every age-grade competition scoring goals regularly. Furthermore, the RB Leipzig frontman has since gone on to score 6 goals in 8 matches for the senior team and was part of the squad that won the Confederations Cup in Russia.

Having scored two goals in the last World Cup qualification match in a 6-0 win over Norway, Werner would be the go-to man again in this international break as they bid to seal qualification for next year’s World Cup first when they take on Northern Ireland on Thursday. Werner is already shaping up to be the lynchpin in the attack.

At 21 years of age, he has so much promise in him and could turn out to be the talisman gravely missed since Klose hung his boots. Klose started early and so has Timo and you can’t put it past the young Stuttgart native to surpass what Miroslav achieved with the national team. Only time will tell.