Timo Werner has admitted feeling "guilty" over the sacking of Frank Lampard, who he believes would still be at Chelsea if he had delivered the goals.
Lampard was relieved of his managerial duties at Chelsea on January 25 after a disastrous run of results that saw the club slip out of the title race.
Werner, who joined the Blues from RB Leipzig last summer, was guilty of squandering clear chances during that period and has now taken a portion of the responsibility for Lampard's dismissal.
What was said?
"When you come here to play as a striker and be the man to score the goals, of course, I felt a little bit guilty that I missed so many chances," the German striker told Sky Sports. "For the club, for the old manager but also for me because I want to score all the time and as much as I possibly can.
"Of course, if I'd scored four or five more goals maybe the old manager would still be here because we'd maybe have won two or three games more but you can't look too much into the past because there are too many games ahead of us."
Has Werner improved since Lampard's exit?
Ex-Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel has quickly set about stamping his own mark on the Chelsea squad since replacing Lampard, and has steadied the ship by delivering six wins from his first eight games in charge.
Werner has been a regular in the starting XI at the start of Tuchel's reign, with the 24-year-old primarily deployed on the left of a front-three in a new 3-4-3 set-up.
The ex-Leipzig star brought a 14-game scoreless run to an end by finding the net in the 2-0 victory over Newcastle on February 15, and has also recorded three assists in his first six games under Tuchel.
Werner is suddenly looking like more of a threat in the final third, but will hope to add to his tally between now and the end of the season with his modest record at Chelsea currently standing at 10 goals in 34 appearances.
What's next?
Werner will likely have another chance to impress when Chelsea play host to Manchester United in a crucial Premier League clash on Sunday. The Blues will then look ahead to a meeting with defending champions Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday, which comes four days before they are due to play host to Everton.
