Reports suggest that Timo Werner was still able to annoy Thomas Tuchel despite Chelsea winning the Champions League final last year.
According to The Athletic, a source has claimed Werner ignored the manager’s instructions in the second half, seeing him quickly substituted.
The Blues held on to a 1-0 first-half lead, after Kai Havertz’s goal put them ahead.
Realistically, however, they should have been even further ahead, with Werner seeing a number of good chances present themselves in the opening exchanges.
Nonetheless, the Blues had to work hard to contain City’s fluid squad, with the manager’s instructions key in such a pressured moment.
It looks like those instructions weren’t received by the 26-year-old, with The Athletic’s source claiming that’s when they thought his days at Stamford Bridge were numbered.
Werner ignored Tuchel in the CL final
He is now back at RB Leipzig, where he will seek to revive his career which had begun to stagnate.
His playing time in west London had dropped sharply over the past 12 months with Tuchel reportedly not trusting him for Premier League games.
With the World Cup just months away, he will also have feared that a lack of minutes would make a decision on his position in the Germany squad that much harder.
His best football was undoubtedly playing with the Bundesliga side, and he will now have the opportunity to partner Christopher Nkunku this season.
Playing time at Stamford Bridge would have been even harder to come by this season following the signing of Raheem Sterling in the summer.
The Englishman will likely be a locked-in member of Tuchel’s front three this season, and preferring him to play on the left would have left Werner essentially surplus to requirements.
