If there was any faint hope that Timo Werner could salvage his Tottenham career and rescue his reputation in England it was dashed in the unlikely place of the Ibrox press conference room.
The 28-year-old was taken off at half-time of Thursday’s draw against Rangers after a substandard display that has been all too common during an unfulfilling 11-month spell in north London.
Werner put together an impressive blooper reel considering he only played for 45 minutes, the nadir of which was when he inexplicably failed to control a simple pass by the touchline allowing the ball to trundle sadly out of play.
The stats reinforced what the eyes could see: Werner ceded possession 16 times, lost all five of his contested duels and completed just 69 per cent of his passes. Really, he did well to last as long as he did.
Ange Postecoglou hardly required much prompting to tear apart the German’s performance after being asked whether the decision to take him off at half-time was tactical.
“Yeah. He wasn’t playing anywhere near the level he should,” he replied, stony faced.
“When you’ve got 18-year-olds it’s [his performance is] not acceptable to me. I said that to Timo. He’s a senior international, he’s a German international.
“In the moment we’re in right now, it’s not like we’ve got many options. I need everyone to at least be going out there trying to give the best of themselves. His performance in the first half wasn’t acceptable.”
It was the first time in almost 18 months at the club that Postecoglou has rebuked one of his players to that degree, which felt significant. It seemed premeditated, the message being sent loud and clear that such ineffectual performances will no longer be accepted or tolerated.
The surprising thing is not that Werner is struggling to make any positive impact whatsoever but that the club bothered bringing him back in the first place.
Werner didn’t make a particularly compelling impression after joining from RB Leipzig on an initial six-month loan in January, scoring two goals and setting up three more in 13 Premier League appearances. He has followed that up with a meagre return of one goal and three assists in 19 matches this campaign.
That Leipzig were even willing to let him leave temporarily should have raised a red flag for Spurs’ recruitment team. His return to Germany was supposed to arrest a decline that had set in during his disastrous stint at Chelsea, but he never got going at the club where he emerged as a highly-coveted young striker.
The suspicion among supporters was that Daniel Levy sanctioned Werner’s return simply because he was the cheap option. Spurs were linked with Pedro Neto and Eberechi Eze but ended up with someone who has struggled for the best part of five seasons instead.
On social media, some vented that he was the club’s worst player during the Premier League era.
That is probably a stretch – he hasn’t quite reached Grzegorz Rasiak levels yet – but the fact his name has even cropped up in those conversations tells a story of how ineffectual he has been. Scuffed crosses and scurrying runs that lead nowhere have defined his time at Spurs.
The fallout over the next few weeks will be fascinating. Most fans would be happy for that to signal Werner’s last outing in a Spurs shirt, but that prospect seems unlikely considering an injury crisis that Postecoglou has described as the most severe he has seen during his managerial career.
He may have to be reintegrated in the short term due to a lack of alternatives in the squad. Richarlison is out injured again and Mikey Moore has been absent for almost two months with a mysterious virus.
Tottenham injuries
- Richarlison (hamstring)
- Mikey Moore (ill)
- Cristian Romero (hamstring)
- Micky van de Ven (hamstring)
- Ben Davies (hamstring)
- Guglielmo Vicario (ankle)
- Wilson Odobert (hamstring)
Postecoglou’s criticism of him was significant because it was so out of character. Throughout his time in England, the Australian has always taken responsibility for negative results and defective performances in an effort to protect his players from external noise.
Evidently, he has now reached a point where he feels that he can no longer defend the indefensible. Having unsuccessfully tried the carrot approach he has now introduced the stick. An arm around the shoulder has not worked so here’s a punch to the gut instead.
Spurs’ inconsistent form would be enough to make even the most optimistic manager feel gloomy and Postecoglou’s demeanour has noticeably darkened. Usually so restrained on the touchline, he has cut a frustrated figure of late, frequently throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation as the unforced errors have piled up.
His decision to rush back Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for Sunday’s derby against Chelsea backfired spectacularly when both had to come off after aggravating their injuries.
It was entirely incongruous with his usually cautious approach when handling returning players, as was his public outburst over Werner.
Is the pressure getting to him? It was only seven weeks ago that the Postecoglou project in north London looked as though it was gathering momentum after statement wins over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup and Aston Villa in the Premier League. The speed at which things have unravelled since has been remarkable.
It has been a rough week for Postecoglou. A miserable defeat at Bournemouth, after which he was abused by fans, was followed by a calamitous collapse against Chelsea and rounded off with a desperate display at Ibrox. The doubters are growing in number and the eulogies are being written.
Postecoglou looks to have been ground down. Spurs gets them all in the end. The glint in his eye has gone. He is lashing out and unless things take an unexpected turn for the better, this is starting to look like the beginning of the end.
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