Timo Werner being ‘hard on himself’ amid poor run of form, says Chelsea manager Frank Lampard

The German forward has not scored in the league since early November

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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says Timo Werner retains his support despite a poor run of form, though the Germany international’s mindset is to demand more from himself.

The Blues spent £45 million to land him in the summer from RB Leipzig, where he scored 34 goals in all competitions last season - but he has netted just four in the Premier League so far and none in his last 10 in the league.

Werner’s tally is boosted to nine in all competitions, but an FA Cup goal against Morecambe is all he has to show since early November.

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Lampard says all the best forwards demand more of themselves during barren spells, but hard work and the support of the club are what’s really required to come out the other side.

"He may be hard on himself because any striker the level that he is who is worth their salt ... will be hard on themselves," Lampard said after the 1-0 win over Fulham, which saw Werner come on as a late sub and spurn two chances to wrap up the game.

"That's how you get to the top with the desire to score goals. I was happy when he gets on and gets into the positions to score goals, particularly the one that went wide as that's where I have seen him score so many goals in his career so far. He will score those in future.

"Him being hard on himself is not a problem, but I hope he feels my support. The only way out of a hard patch is to train and train, keep your attitude right and stay positive. Sometimes you need help with that.

"We have a really competitive nature in the group with options in forward areas so they are all willing each other to do well.

"Timo will get there no problem, he can be hard on himself and he has my support."

The Blues had struggled for consistency as a group of late, winning just one league game from six prior to their derby victory at the weekend, which propelled Lampard’s team into seventh place in the table, five points outside the top four.