With his first goal in a Tottenham shirt, Timo Werner initiated the turnaround against Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace. Another scene was easier for him to bear
Since playing for Tottenham, he has become much happier, Timo Werner said in mid-February. And indeed, one can at least speculate as to whether the 57-time international would have scored the goal he scored against Crystal Palace on Saturday in the first half of the season in an RB Leipzig shirt.
The fact that he scored for Spurs for the first time in the 77th minute, when he steered Brennan Johnson’s low cross into the net to make it 1-1 and turn the game around, had a backstory: In the first half, in which little had come together for Spurs, Werner had carelessly missed a great chance. After running in alone on goalkeeper Sam Johnstone almost from the halfway line, he tried in vain to round him
“It would have been terrible if I had missed two chances like that “
But Werner refused to be rattled – thanks in part to his team-mates. “They stood behind me at half-time and told me to just keep going,” said Werner after the 3:1 home win, which was made perfect by Cristian Romero (80′) and captain Heung-Min Son (88′). “It always feels great when you have a group around you that doesn’t say anything about it. They supported me and that helped me and the whole team. It would have been terrible if I’d missed two chances like that in one game. “
Werner last scored on October 28 in Leipzig’s 6-0 win over 1. FC Köln, on that occasion from the penalty spot. In the Premier League, the ex-Chelsea professional scored for the eleventh time in his 62nd appearance. Coach Ange Postecoglou, who will still be without attacker Richarlison for the coming weeks, praised his loanee for a “very good performance”. Werner was “a constant threat” for the visitors under new coach Oliver Glasner.
While they have already been eliminated from all cup competitions, Spurs are still fighting for a Champions League spot in the league. With one game remaining, they are five points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa, who won 3-2 at Luton Town – and are Tottenham’s next opponents next Sunday.
