Frank
Lampard has backed Timo Werner to come good for Chelsea and believes he will
score "lots of goals" for the club despite his recent struggles.
After scoring five goals in four matches during October and November, Werner
has now gone nine games without a goal for the Blues and missed a number of
good chances in Monday's 3-0 win over West Ham.
While his record of eight goals and six assists in 21 games across all
competitions this season should not be dismissed, he is yet to hit the
heights of last season, when his 34 goals for RB Leipzig earned him his £45m
move to Stamford Bridge.
But Lampard - who has often used Werner as a winger since his signing - does
not appear concerned, saying: "I talk to him all the time - I don't sense
the frustration.
"As a striker you want to be scoring regularly, as he has done in his
career. But at the same time, every striker has moments where the ball
doesn't drop for you for whatever reason.
"The positive thing is that he's getting chances in games, using his
attributes to get in the box and showing his speed. He is getting lots of
chances and he will score a lot of goals for us."
Werner admitted before Chelsea's home victory against West Ham that the
Premier League is more physical than he anticipated, and suggested the
Blues' hectic schedule has not helped his adaptation.
Lampard believes those feelings are normal for a player new to the
competition, and said: "I think honesty is a good thing. Whether it gets
taken in the right context or not, I'm not always sure.
"We crave honesty and then we sometimes hang on every word. I don't think
Timo underestimating [the Premier League] is quite the right word.
"I know he wanted to come here and be successful and understood the rigours
of the Premier League. It's just the fact of when you're here in action,
it's different challenges.
"So I don't think you can talk about that too much until you're here and he
was talking about his experiences."
Lampard preparing for 'best' Arsenal team
Werner's latest opportunity to break his duck will come on Saturday when
Chelsea take on London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates, live on Sky Sports.
The Gunners are enduring a torrid season and sit 15th in the Premier League
- just four points above the relegation zone - while Mikel Arteta admitted
his side could be in "big trouble" after Tuesday's 4-1 home defeat to
Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.
But Lampard - who revealed Ben Chilwell and Reece James are doubtful for the
trip to Arsenal due to injury - warned his side to expect a tough test in
north London, saying: "I don't want to talk about what their battle is -
they are just a good team with a good manager.
"They have had some tough results recently but the general wave of the
Premier League this season has been more inconsistent than it has been in
previous seasons.
"It's not my concern exactly where they are at - my concern is the team at
face value, in terms of quality, and they're a high-quality team.
"When you play a derby, form does go out the window. Sometimes the idea of
playing a derby is the spur that the team needs to try and get a result.
"So we have to expect the best Arsenal, which is a really good football team
with really good football players. Well coached, rotations in their team,
lots of threats in attacking areas - that's what I expect. So we have to
prepare for that."
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