Hasenhuttl reveals Lampard's mistake with Werner

The German’s former Leipzig boss has weighed in his opinion on the Blues striker’s struggles under Lampard.

Ralph Hasenhuttl suggested Frank Lampard deploys Timo Werner in the wrong position, implying a simple change and adapting to the striker’s style of play will pay dividends.

Werner, who scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga alone last season, has found life in the Premier League to be a challenging experience. He’s only scored four times, with his last league goal coming on November 7 against Sheffield United.

Despite the €53m summer signing’s struggles, Lampard has stood by him and remains confident he will deliver with time and patience.

But Hasenhuttl, under whom Werner scored 42 goals in only 77 appearances during their time together at RB Leipzig, believes his old star striker will come good if Chelsea place him in his favored role regularly and adapt to his style.

“I know Timo very well and I have seen him in situations where he was not good,” said the now-Southampton boss as per Metro.

“Most of the time when I have seen this is because of the reason that the game doesn’t fit him. The team didn’t play in a way where he can bring his best on the pitch, I think.

“He is definitely a player where you have to adapt your game to him. If you do this, he will give you everything you need from a striker.

“But, therefore, he has some qualities you really have to focus on.

“The good thing for him, I think at Leipzig when I was there, is we concentrated completely on his qualities. Our quick transitions after winning the ball, it was perfect for our game.

“Also, when he was with Julian [Nagelsmann], he was also scoring a lot of goals.”

Lampard has frequently deployed Werner out on the left flank rather than the 24-year-old’s normal center-forward role.

Hasenhuttl added: “You really need to bring him into his best position so he can bring his strength on the pitch. For me, he is one of the best strikers in Europe.”