From relegation with VfB Stuttgart to the Champions League with the newly-promoted RB Leipzig: Timo Werner’s last twelve months have been phenomenal. What’s more, he also received his first call-up to the international side and made his debut for Germany. The striker’s next highlight will come against Australia as Die Mannschaft kick off their Confederations Cup campaign (17:00 CEST) in Russia. The Bundesliga’s top German goal-scorer spoke to DFB.de, revealing the challenges that await him, elaborating on the past season, and commenting on his blistering pace.
DFB.de: Mr. Werner, when was the first time that you realised you could simply out-pace everybody?
Timo Werner: (laughs) Good question. I was always one of the quickest in my youth, and when I played for Germany at U15 level I was already consistently the fastest player there during the tests. I wouldn’t have anticipated being one of the quickest players in the Bundesliga back then, and then I continued to grow...
DFB.de: You’re 1.81 metres tall.
Werner: Exactly – and that means that the lengths of my strides increased.
DFB.de: Rigorous training or god-given talent?
Werner: Definitely god-given talent. There’s only so much you can do when it comes to speed-training.
DFB.de: The saying “there is no substitute for speed” is one often said by those who comment on sport in America. Do you agree that an athlete can improve everything but their speed?
Werner: Yes, you can be a technically brilliant footballer, a superb defender, or have a very strong shot, but if you lack the necessary pace then you’ll find it very difficult. There’s a certain level of speed you need to have, and you also have to be able to go past an opponent.
DFB.de: What do you need to be able to control the ball at high speed?
Werner: That’s indeed what’s most important. Many are quick, but many don’t become professionals because they’ve forgotten about the ball along the way. The final step is mastering the art of dribbling at high speed. There’s no recipe for it – the quickest players just know how to do it automatically. I like to knock the ball three or four metres ahead of me when I’m on the counter or have space in front of me, that way I can increase the distance between a defender and myself.
DFB.de: Do you know how quick an opponent is prior to the game?
Werner: Not really. I just do what I do on the day, most of the time I’ve got enough pace.
DFB.de: Speed-dribblers are a special sight in football because they can get fans off their seats. Real have two players like that in the form of Ronaldo and Bale. Other examples include Neymar at Barcelona, Reus at Dortmund, and Robben at Bayern. Do you have a favourite player whose game appeals to you?
Werner: Messi is the paragon for me. Dembele has been impressive as of late – the way he cuts in at full speed is insane.
DFB.de: Relegation with VfB Stuttgart, qualifying for the Champions League with newly-promoted side RB Leipzig, your Germany debut, and now the Confed Cup. What a year it’s been for you!
Werner: A special one with highs and lows. Relegation with VfB was tough. Leipzig were really welcoming and it was the start of a new chapter for me. I very much enjoyed playing for a team like that during the season and I think you could tell that was the case. I showed my potential because I was enjoying the football I was playing. The quality of the team is fantastic and we’ve got a good atmosphere. I was at VfB Stuttgart for over twelve years, so it was a special move for me through which I was able to greatly broaden my horizons.
DFB.de: Your 21 goals last season meant that you were the most successful German striker in the Bundesliga last season. Did you expect a call-up to the national team?
Werner: (laughs) No. I did score a lot of goals early on in the year before the internationals against England and Azerbaijan, but you have to be able to do more than just that if you want to play for Germany. Every player needs to have other qualities to their game to be called up for Germany, and not just be able to stand up front and stick the ball in the net.
DFB.de: You’ve often been the youngest: the youngest Bundesliga goalscorer in VfB Stuttgart’s history, as well as their youngest player. But did you know that you’re not actually the youngest player here?
Werner: Yes, Benni (Henrichs) is the youngest and Julian Brandt is also a little younger than me. That’s good, because it means that I don’t have to be perfect when both are around.
DFB.de: How tough will the first group-stage game against Australia be?
Werner: Very tough. For starters, we don’t even know how fit we are after a long and difficult season, and now we’re about to face Australia in a game that won’t be pretty. They’ll try to knock us about with their physicality and strength, and they’ve got a few Bundesliga players in their team. We want to make it 1-0 early on and dominate. We need three points from Australia in this group.
created by th
From relegation with VfB Stuttgart to the Champions League with the newly-promoted RB Leipzig: Timo Werner’s last twelve months have been phenomenal. What’s more, he also received his first call-up to the international side and made his debut for Germany. The striker’s next highlight will come against Australia as Die Mannschaft kick off their Confederations Cup campaign (17:00 CEST) in Russia. The Bundesliga’s top German goal-scorer spoke to DFB.de, revealing the challenges that await him, elaborating on the past season, and commenting on his blistering pace.
DFB.de: Mr. Werner, when was the first time that you realised you could simply out-pace everybody?
Timo Werner: (laughs) Good question. I was always one of the quickest in my youth, and when I played for Germany at U15 level I was already consistently the fastest player there during the tests. I wouldn’t have anticipated being one of the quickest players in the Bundesliga back then, and then I continued to grow...
DFB.de: You’re 1.81 metres tall.
Werner: Exactly – and that means that the lengths of my strides increased.
DFB.de: Rigorous training or god-given talent?
Werner: Definitely god-given talent. There’s only so much you can do when it comes to speed-training.
DFB.de: The saying “there is no substitute for speed” is one often said by those who comment on sport in America. Do you agree that an athlete can improve everything but their speed?
Werner: Yes, you can be a technically brilliant footballer, a superb defender, or have a very strong shot, but if you lack the necessary pace then you’ll find it very difficult. There’s a certain level of speed you need to have, and you also have to be able to go past an opponent.
DFB.de: What do you need to be able to control the ball at high speed?
Werner: That’s indeed what’s most important. Many are quick, but many don’t become professionals because they’ve forgotten about the ball along the way. The final step is mastering the art of dribbling at high speed. There’s no recipe for it – the quickest players just know how to do it automatically. I like to knock the ball three or four metres ahead of me when I’m on the counter or have space in front of me, that way I can increase the distance between a defender and myself.
DFB.de: Do you know how quick an opponent is prior to the game?
Werner: Not really. I just do what I do on the day, most of the time I’ve got enough pace.
DFB.de: Speed-dribblers are a special sight in football because they can get fans off their seats. Real have two players like that in the form of Ronaldo and Bale. Other examples include Neymar at Barcelona, Reus at Dortmund, and Robben at Bayern. Do you have a favourite player whose game appeals to you?
Werner: Messi is the paragon for me. Dembele has been impressive as of late – the way he cuts in at full speed is insane.
DFB.de: Relegation with VfB Stuttgart, qualifying for the Champions League with newly-promoted side RB Leipzig, your Germany debut, and now the Confed Cup. What a year it’s been for you!
Werner: A special one with highs and lows. Relegation with VfB was tough. Leipzig were really welcoming and it was the start of a new chapter for me. I very much enjoyed playing for a team like that during the season and I think you could tell that was the case. I showed my potential because I was enjoying the football I was playing. The quality of the team is fantastic and we’ve got a good atmosphere. I was at VfB Stuttgart for over twelve years, so it was a special move for me through which I was able to greatly broaden my horizons.
DFB.de: Your 21 goals last season meant that you were the most successful German striker in the Bundesliga last season. Did you expect a call-up to the national team?
Werner: (laughs) No. I did score a lot of goals early on in the year before the internationals against England and Azerbaijan, but you have to be able to do more than just that if you want to play for Germany. Every player needs to have other qualities to their game to be called up for Germany, and not just be able to stand up front and stick the ball in the net.
DFB.de: You’ve often been the youngest: the youngest Bundesliga goalscorer in VfB Stuttgart’s history, as well as their youngest player. But did you know that you’re not actually the youngest player here?
Werner: Yes, Benni (Henrichs) is the youngest and Julian Brandt is also a little younger than me. That’s good, because it means that I don’t have to be perfect when both are around.
DFB.de: How tough will the first group-stage game against Australia be?
Werner: Very tough. For starters, we don’t even know how fit we are after a long and difficult season, and now we’re about to face Australia in a game that won’t be pretty. They’ll try to knock us about with their physicality and strength, and they’ve got a few Bundesliga players in their team. We want to make it 1-0 early on and dominate. We need three points from Australia in this group.
