Werner strikes the ball unusually high on his foot, almost in the crook of his ankle. For this reason he tends to prefer the ball at his side, where he can wrap his leg around the shot, rather than in front of him.
Struck sweetly, Werner’s shot is a thing of terror: a snappy, violent motion that offers in extreme power what it lacks in finesse and repeatability. But if the timing is a fraction out, he often comes over the top of the ball. He rarely scores with the instep. He rarely scores headers. He rarely scores curlers. While he misses a disproportionate number of easy chances, he also scores a disproportionate number of hard ones. Asked once to describe his finishing style, Werner replied: “Don’t think too much, and hope the ball goes in.”
