Michael Ballack agrees with Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel's assessment of Timo Werner, with the pair backing the German striker to come good.
The 24-year-old has struggled to find consistency since joining the Blues from RB Leipzig last summer and has now gone over 15 hours of Premier League football since his last goal.
That has seen the pressure mount on the forward, as well as increasing criticism, with Werner now having to fight to prove his worth.
While others are yet to be convinced by Werner, he retains the faith of his new manager - having started each of the Blues' last three matches.
Speaking after Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Sheffield United, where Werner was named Man of the Match, Tuchel backed the striker to break his duck soon.
"He is more and more free, today I could really feel him on the pitch, he was absolutely in the game, physically and mentally, and he was decisive," he told Sky Sports.
"This is the most important thing because if he can continue like this the goals will come, I am sure."
That is an assessment that former Chelsea midfielder Ballack agrees with, as he suggested that finding the net will ease the growing pressure and lead to an increased return in the final third.
"Timo started off pretty well. Of course, if you aren’t scoring as a striker, then it is hard on the self-confidence," Ballack, who made 166 appearances for Chelsea between 2006 and 2010 after arriving from Bayern Munich, told Omnisport.
"I believe that it is very hard for him overall, as he was used to playing differently at Leipzig. He had a lot more space in front of him.
"Chelsea is the kind of team that has a lot of ball possession, wanting to dominate the opponent. Maybe even more so with [Thomas] Tuchel. Maybe he has to work on his playing style a little bit or try to get himself into better positions.
"As a striker you are depending on your fellow players to find you and if the [goal drought] breaks, then he will be able to find his old form.
"He used to have good phases with the national team, using his physical presence and power to break down on the wing. "So when the [drought] breaks, then things will go better again."
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