Enzo Maresca had a great start to life at Chelsea, taking them to second in the Premier League before Christmas. However, since then, the Blues have struggled for consistency. Despite still producing fairly good underlying metrics, the results haven’t always followed.
Chelsea are averaging 58.2% possession per game which is the second highest in the division, taking 16.1 shots per game – the third highest in the league and have scored 52 goals in 27 games, making the fourth highest scorers.
Cole Palmer
14
Nicolas Jackson
9
Noni Madueke
7
Enzo Fernández
4
Marc Cucurella
3
Pedro Neto
3
Christopher Nkunku
3
Jadon Sancho
2
Moises Caicedo
1
Reece James
1
However, in recent months, the Blues have struggled more in front of goal, showing inconsistency in finding the back of the net and therefore costing them some valuable results and points.
But, this isn’t a new feature for the Blues, as one man in particular was known for this in his Chelsea career.
How Timo Werner struggled at Chelsea
Timo Werner joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig back in 2020 for a fee of around £48m. In his 89 appearances for the club, the German scored 23 goals, provided 17 assists and totalled 6,051 minutes.
Despite still scoring some important goals and playing a big part in Chelsea’s Champions League winning campaign under Thomas Tuchel in 2021, Werner was often criticised for his inconsistency in front of goal, missing some huge chances in his time for the Blues.
Tuchel still rated him, however, notably jumping to the German’s defence in a press conference, saying: “It’s an easy solution to point the finger at Timo, which I cannot fully understand and I will not accept.”
In 2025, Chelsea may have found their next Werner, also coming from the Bundesliga and beginning to show the same level of inconsistency for the Blues.
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Chelsea's "new" Timo Werner
It’s safe to say that since the days of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa, the Londoners have struggled to find a consistent and reliable number 9.
That has stretched into the current iteration of this Chelsea side with a certain Christopher Nkunku now the scapegoat.
Signed from RB Leipzig back in 2023, joining the Blues for a fee of around £52m, the Frenchman has struggled with injury, only making 48 appearances, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists, totalling 2,092 minutes played.
Much like Werner, Nkunku has still shown his capability to score goals, having some big moments of quality and netting 14 times this season in his 34 appearances in all competitions. However, many of these goals have come in cup competitions, with only three being scored in the Premier League.
Goals
0.71
0.34
Assists
0.27
0.28
xG
0.56
0.48
xAG
0.25
0.19
Progressive Carries
1.77
3.54
Progressive Passes
2.66
2.37
Shots Total
2.80
2.73
Goals/Shot
0.22
0.10
Key Passes
1.65
1.11
Shot-Creating Actions
3.67
2.77
When you compare the metrics between Nkunku’s 24/25 season and Werner’s 20/21 season, you can see Nkunku’s numbers are actually far better, showing higher levels of output, clinical finishing and creativity.
However, a key difference between the two players is their work rate, as Werner may not provide the same on-ball value and numbers, but he did work much harder off the ball.
Nkunku was once labelled a “monster” in the making by Jacek Kulig, having shown his quality for Leipzig in the Bundesliga after joining from PSG, but like Werner, the 28-year-old has struggled to find his best form at Chelsea, often playing out of position and lacking consistency.
Whilst it may not have reached true Werner levels yet, he has shown signs of inconsistency, with Chelsea fans growing frustrated with his body language at times on the pitch.
Both players have struggled to fully show their best coming from Germany to England, and Nkunku could find himself elsewhere next season if he doesn’t finish this campaign in strong form.
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