How Will The Timo Werner Injury Impact Germany At The World Cup?

Timo Werner will be out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The German striker is just the latest casualty caused by the congested schedule due to FIFA scheduling the tournament in Qatar in the winter rather than the summer as originally planned.

As a result, the games will now take place from Nov. to Dec. right in the middle of a season that saw games compacted to ensure that the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League group stage could be concluded in the fall. Mounting injuries for many countries are, therefore, no surprise and Germany are just the latest nation to be hit.

For Werner the incident happened on matchday 6 during RB Leipzig’s 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk that secured their passage to the round of 16. Just three minutes after he set up his teammate Christopher Nkunku for the 1-0 lead (10’), Werner got his ankle twisted in a duel with Taras Stepanenko. The striker briefly continued but then had to be replaced.

The next day the bitter prognosis. Werner had torn syndesmotic ligament and will be out for the rest of the year and, consequentially, also the World Cup.

“It was a shock for him and for us,” Leipzig head coach Marco Rose said about the injury on Friday. “It always hurts the club when such an important player is unavailable. Timo has the full support of all of us and we’re looking forward to the day that he comes back.”

Bundestrainer Hansi Flick also reacted to the news. “This news is very sad,” Flick sad. “I feel very sorry for Timo personally because he really wanted to play the World Cup. But Timo’s absence is a huge loss especially for the team. We all wish him a speedy recovery.”

The national team head coach is now faced with an interesting problem. Although Werner was at times seen controversially by members of the fan base, there is no doubting that in recent form the forward would have been an important member of the team.

Werner has scored nine goals and four assists in 16 games across all competitions this season. Most importantly, the 26-year-old two goals and one assist in the Champions League and was an important member of a Leipzig side that made a late resurgence to get out of the group stage.

On the surface, Flick will now miss a productive member of the first team. But even with Werner on the plane to Qatar, Flick would have an interesting problem to solve. Under Rose in the Leipzig system, Werner has played on the left, off Nkunku, who is also playing on the left but in a more advanced role.

In other words, Werner has not really played as a typical no.9 this season. But that is where Flick would have likely fielded him, playing him in a role that would have been unlikely to set Werner and Germany up for success in Qatar.

Now with Werner not going to the tournament, Flick will most likely look to Werder Bremen forward Niclas Füllkrug. Füllkrug was previously a long shot to make the team but with Werner out and an additional slot available, the center-forward has seen his chances massively improve.

Füllkrug, however, was very likely planned as a part-time option. A forward to come in to get a late goal for Germany. To fill the void in the middle of the box the best option is now most likely Youssoufa Moukoko.

The 17-year-old striker has been on fantastic form for Dortmund lately. Werner’s injury could now be his opportunity to shine on the big stage, forcing Flick to do the right thing and play the player that most deserves to be there and has the best abilities to fill a role that has been left departed since Miroslav Klose retired.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth