“To my mind, he is too well-behaved, and he resigns himself to his fate” – Michael Ballack urges Chelsea ‘nice guy’ to ‘flip the switch’ to rekindle form

Chelsea striker Timo Werner has fallen out of favor at Stamford Bridge after failing to impress with his performances in front of goal over the last couple of seasons. Former Blues midfielder Michael Ballack has urged the forward to dump the verdict of a nice guy and step up to the plate in London.

Timo Werner's struggles have seen him lose his place in Chelsea's starting line-up. As it stands, Thomas Tuchel would rather play without a natural striker instead of fielding the 26-year-old.

Commenting on the player's situation at Stamford Bridge, Michael Ballack admitted that Werner's career has gone downhill, both at the club and national team level.

The former Blues midfielder was quoted as saying by The Sun:

"Timo has been a lot better than what he is at the moment in terms of personality and character. It was a brave step on his part to go to Chelsea, knowing what their setting is like - but he hasn't managed to establish himself. It is important for him to take on board what is expected of him.

"He was close to becoming their undisputed first-choice striker, and with the German national team as well."

To get his career back on track, Ballack advised Werner to regain his mental strength. Otherwise, there will be no change in his situation, the German warned.

"But that is a position he has lost. He now needs to build up his mental strength once again. He strikes me as a nice guy, but he has to try to flip the switch so he can believe in himself once more.

"He has what it takes, but to my mind, he lacks that 'elbow mindset' [where he makes his presence felt]. To my mind, he is too well-behaved, and he resigns himself to his fate. If that does not change, he will continue to have a difficult time."

Werner's struggles at Stamford Bridge continue...

Timo Werner's numbers in Chelsea shirt so far

The striker switched to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig in a deal worth €53 million in the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, since moving to London, he's been a mere shadow of the player we saw tearing down the Bundesliga a couple of years ago.

So far, he's had 89 appearances in the Blues' jersey across all competitions, recording a paltry 23 goals and 21 assists to his name. As it stands, there's uncertainty over his future at the club amid rumors (via Metro) linking him with a departure this summer. Serie A giants Juventus and Premier League side Newcastle United are reportedly interested in the German.

Let's see whether he heeds the advice of his compatriot Ballack and turns a corner with his on-field performances.