Timo to earn his Spurs
Can Timo Werner take Spurs back to the Champions League?
The much-maligned Timo Werner hit his second goal in two matches as Spurs dismantled Aston Villa in their matchweek 28 showdown. Tottenham’s 4-0 win puts them back on track for a top-four finish. And could it be the signing of Werner that helps fire Ange Postecoglou’s team into next season’s Champions League?
The bookies say Spurs will finish in the top four
In the latest betting to win the title, Spurs are 200/1 fourth favourites to lift the Premier League trophy this season. Manchester City still lead the way at 11/10 in the latest English Premier League winner odds. Much more realistic for Postecoglou’s team is a top-four finish. In this market, Spurs are now Premier League odds of just 4/9. Rivals Aston Villa are at 8/5, with Manchester United at 13/1.
Defeat at Villa Park was unthinkable for Spurs. Had Postecoglou’s team lost, they would have been relying on the Premier League getting a fifth UEFA Champions League place under the revamped tournament for the 2024/25 season.
Now, it’s back in the hands of Spurs.
Can Spurs make the Champions League by finishing fifth?
The battle for the top four is still far from won. And it could be yet that Spurs do need to rely on the Premier League securing a fifth place in the Champions League to be dining at the top table in Europe again next season.
But even that’s far from assured. Under changes planned for next year’s competition, two nations with the best UEFA coefficient ranking will receive an extra spot in the Champions League. As of now, those two places would go to Italy and Germany.
Ironically, Werner’s current parent club, RB Leipzig, could be one of the lucky recipients.
Securing a Champions League place would be a major achievement for Postecoglou
But Ange Postecoglou won’t want to rely on that. The Australian will be desperate for a top-four finish in his first season. Especially after the departure of Harry Kane, which was expected to set Spurs back and make the team less competitive.
If Postecoglou can get the team into the top four for the first time of asking, it would be some achievement for the popular Aussie and his new-look team.
Werner can prove the doubters wrong
Timo Werner had a torrid time at Stamford Bridge during his first spell in England. The German arrived in London with a great goalscoring record but struggled to replicate it in the Premier League. This resulted in Werner leaving the English Premier League in 2022.
Then, in a move that resembled Liverpool’s signing of Mohamed Salah in 2017, a lot of eyebrows were raised when Postecoglou brought Werner back to England.
Like Salah, Werner had failed in the Premier League and moved onto pastures new. And like Salah, most observers were sceptical when he was brought back to English shores.
But Salah has proven over recent years that he is a top-quality performer in the English Premier League. The Egyptian took full advantage of his second stint in England, and now Werner has a great chance to do the same.
Signing Werner was a small risk well worth taking
During his first spell at RB Leipzig, Werner found the net 78 times in just 127 appearances, proving he has goal-scoring ability. The rest of his game isn’t in doubt. It’s just that final moment in front of goal that has let him down since he first departed Germany.
If the talented striker can rediscover his 2016-2020 RB Leipzig form for Spurs, he will be a superstar. And Ange Postecoglou could be just the guy to get the best out of the German and fire Spurs into the top four.
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