"With Timo, any goalscorer wants to score regularly but must have the mental toughness and confidence to go through periods. That is every striker, it is no problem. He needs to keep getting in those areas and the goals will come, no doubt."
Those were the words of former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard back in December 2020, when talking about, at the time, new signing Timo Werner. The 26-year-old was signed by the Blues in the summer of 2020 for a fee close to £50million.
In Germany, Werner had made a name for himself. In the 2019/20 season alone, the Germany international netted 34 goals in 45 matches in all competitions for RB Leipzig - the first 30-goal-plus campaign in his career.
READ MORE: Timo Werner can repeat rare Chelsea feat in FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace
Things were looking up for Werner. Chelsea, as well as Liverpool, came knocking for his signature and the German favoured a switch to Stamford Bridge where he'd be working under Lampard.
"I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a very proud moment for me to be joining this great club," Werner said back in the summer of 2020. "I look forward to next season with my new team-mates, my new manager and of course the Chelsea fans. Together we have a very successful future ahead of us."
That last line is key, "a very successful future ahead of us". Who could have argued with that? Chelsea had just signed one of European football's most prolific forwards. So they thought, anyway.
Ever since making the big-money switch to the Premier League, life on the pitch has been difficult for Werner. It would be unfair to label him as a "flop" because he has had his moments at Chelsea. However, he's been far from the level the majority of people expected after such a successful time in Germany.
This season has seen Werner only find the back of the net three times in the Premier League, with two of them coming in his last outing against Southampton. He also netted against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg defeat on Tuesday evening - with the German scoring a superb solo goal.
Three goals in two games has gone some way in proving Lampard right around 16 months later. Finally, there are glimpses of what the speedy German can do.
Thomas Tuchel, who put his faith in his countryman in the week in Madrid, now has a big decision on his hands when it comes to Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Crystal Palace. Does he once again start Werner and look to continue his rare rich vein of form?
With Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic not in the best of form right now, there is no reason Werner shouldn't be given the nod at Wembley. Romelu Lukaku is back in contention to make the Chelsea squad, after recovering from an Achilles problem this week. Werner, with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz - the front line that started in Spain in the week - looks to be the logical attacking trio for Chelsea, however.
There is a case, of course, of leaving Werner on the bench and using him later on in the game where his pace can punish the tiring Palace defenders. In this case, though, taking a forward who is finally firing out of the spotlight may not be the best option for Tuchel.
