Dejan Kulusevski has committed to rally around Tottenham teammate Timo Werner, who is out of form
Werner was substituted at halftime in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar following another inconsistent performance in which he missed a golden opportunity in the 27th minute.
Werner, on loan from RB Leipzig, recently replaced injured captain Son Heung-min, who is doubtful for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace due to muscular discomfort, but has not scored in his last 16 Spurs games.
“It happens to all of us,” Kulusevski said following Tottenham’s seventh win in eight games.
“Some games are better, while others are slightly worse.
“I adore Timo as a guy. He won the Champions League, and we must not forget that. I have a lot of respect for him. We are there for him and for everyone; we are all improving together.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou will continue to try to restore Werner’s confidence, but admits they need more from the former Chelsea forward.
He remarked, “We’re continuously talking to Timo.
“We understand he is lacking confidence at the moment, and everyone has been working hard to improve it, but with all of this, it is ultimately up to him to use as much of the support he has around here to get himself out of it.
“Our responsibility in that is to provide support, whether internally or externally, as needed.
“Obviously, it’s up to him to try to use it to get back to where he wants to be and where he can contribute to us.
“As I have stated, our goal with all of the players is to create an environment in which they can seek assistance if necessary.
“We do require output, and that is the important aspect. Obviously, when Mikey (Moore) got on with Brennan (Johnson), we were a threat on both wings, and we saw results.
“We didn’t score, but three or four really good chances came from it, which we need to happen with the way
“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.”
Werner’s poor form puts Postecoglou in a difficult situation if Son, who has muscle discomfort, does not recover in time to face Palace.
Moore stood out against AZ on his second start for Tottenham, and James Maddison compared him to Neymar after a sequence of brilliant runs in the second half.
The Spurs academy graduate only turned 17 in August, but Kulusevski believes he will thrive under Postecoglou.
Kulusevski stated, “Mikey Moore did exceptionally well and created some opportunities for us.
“The second half was really spectacular. Very good work by him. We need him, and it was great to see him doing that.
“The crowd (should) love him. It’s not easy to progress from the academy to the first squad, so it’s great that he’s receiving the recognition he deserves.”
Kulusevski, 24, is Tottenham’s player of the season thus far, and he accepts his role as an elder statesman with teenagers Moore, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, and Will Lankshear.
“It’s unusual, but it’s nice because I can now help them. I know they look up to us older guys, so we try to help them as much as we can,” Kulusevski explained.
“Things are going well, but I keep wanting more. We need to make significant improvements. We cannot look forward.
“We’ve won seven out of eight, but we need to push each other to improve. It’s not enough; we need to win every game.
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