Dejan Kulusevski vows to rally round out-of-form Tottenham team-mate Timo Werner
Werner has failed to score during his last 16 appearances for Tottenham.
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Dejan Kulusevski has promised to rally round out-of-form Tottenham team-mate Timo Werner.
Werner was replaced at half-time of Thursday’s 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League after another mixed display where he squandered a gilt-edged chance in the 27th minute.
RB Leipzig loanee Werner recently deputised for injured captain Son Heung-min, a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace with muscle soreness, but has not scored in his last 16 appearances for Spurs.
“It happens to all of us,” Kulusevski insisted after Tottenham’s seventh victory in eight matches.
“Sometimes better games, sometimes a little bit worse.
“I love Timo as a guy. He won the Champions League, we can’t forget that. I respect him a lot. We are there for him and we are there for everybody, everyone improving together.”
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou will continue to try and restore Werner’s confidence, but has acknowledged they need more from the ex-Chelsea forward.
He said: “We are talking to Timo constantly.
“We understand he is lacking some confidence at the moment and everyone has been working hard at that, but with all these things, ultimately it’s incumbent on him to use as much of the support he’s got around here to get himself out of it.
Whilst the general play is important and Timo has done well, we still need more in that front third.
“Our role in that is to provide that support whether that’s internally or externally, whatever he needs.
“Obviously it’s then up to him to try to use that to get him back to the levels where he wants to be and where he can contribute for us.
“Like I said, with all the players what we try to do is provide an environment where should they need help, it’s readily available.
“We do need output and that’s the key part. Obviously when Mikey (Moore) was on with Brennan (Johnson), we were a threat on both wings and we were getting outcomes from it.
“We didn’t score but three or four really good chances came from it and we need that to happen with the way we play.
“Whilst the general play is important and Timo has done well, we still need more in that front third and we got it in the second half.”
The poor form of Werner leaves Postecoglou with a dilemma if Son, who has muscle soreness, fails to recover in time to face Palace.
Moore caught the eye against AZ on his second start for Tottenham and was likened to Neymar by James Maddison following a series of outstanding runs in the second half.
The Spurs academy graduate only turned 17 in August, but Kulusevski feels he will flourish under Postecoglou.
Kulusevski said: “Mikey Moore did really well and created some chances for us.
“The second half was very impressive. Really, really good from him. We need him and it was really good to see him doing that.
“The crowd should (love him). It’s not easy to come from the academy to the first team, so it’s good that they give him the praise he deserves.”
Kulusevski is only 24 but Tottenham’s player of the season so far and accepted he is the elder statesman alongside teenagers Moore, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert and Will Lankshear.
“It’s strange but it’s lovely because now I can help them. I know they look up to us older players so we try to help them as much as we can,” Kulusevski said.
“Things are going well but I always want more. We have to improve a lot. We can’t look forward.
“We’ve won seven out of eight but we have to challenge each other to get better. It’s not enough, we have to win every game.”