RB Leipzig star Timo Werner takes a critical look at Chelsea time: 'That prevents you'

Timo Werner celebrates his return to RB Leipzig. Although the 26-year-old was committed to Chelsea until 2025, he left the British club prematurely to play again for the club under Domenico Tedesco.

in the Interview With ' sports picture ' the striker looked back on his time at Chelsea and explained how the transfer back to his old team came about.

Timo Werner 'played too little' at Chelsea

The move to London two years ago initially seemed promising - but due to missed chances to score, corona disease and other injuries, Werner had to accept a few setbacks. 'I didn't play enough last season. And I had the feeling (...) that for the second season in a row at Chelsea I wouldn't be in the starting XI,' he said in an interview.

But with a view to the upcoming World Cup, Werner didn't want to risk taking part in the tournament. For him it was clear: 'I'm 26, I want to play! I want to be on the pitch every week again.' And that's what he's doing now: right in his debut game against 1. FC Cologne the striker scored and made it 2-2.

Less pressure at RB Leipzig

Although the 26-year-old is delighted with the goal, he is aware that it's perfectly normal to slack at times. At RB Leipzig, he is now much more relaxed about such low phases. 'At Chelsea, my misses carried a different weight: we were at a level where it was said that we had to be champions' , he recalled in an interview - 'and with a few missed shots, the championship was immediately further away. Coping with that caused me major problems at the beginning'.

The introduction of a video assistant referee also gave Werner a hard time: Thanks to the new referee technologies, the 26-year-old was subsequently denied 15 goals that he had thought had been hits. 'I was happy on the island 15 times, 15 times my joy was taken away. That made me think a bit.'

But during his time at Chelsea, Werner found: 'This thinking: 'What is now?' That prevents you from scoring.' Therefore, he stopped wasting extensive thoughts on situations, outsiders and teammates. Instead, he focused on himself. 'Now I've gotten to the point where I think goals only come if you don't think about them obsessively,' he added.

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Change to the RB starting eleven

The transfer back to RB Leipzig was not certain for the 26-year-old from the start – other clubs, including Manchester United, Juventus Turin and Newcastle, had also expressed an interest in the goalscorer. 'To only focus on the Leipzig option, to think: 'I only want to go there' – that would have been wrong,' explained Werner. 'At 26 you have to think about it: What's on the pro and what on the con side?' In the end, RB Leipzig obviously had more plus points for him than his other competitors.