Tuchel stated that Lukaku needed some time away from the limelight following a disappointing performance against Crystal Palace. The 28-year-old forward had a mere seven touches of the football during their recent Premier League game against the Eagles. The forward also did not fit into the gameplan Chelsea had set out to deploy.
Speaking after their 2-0 win over Lille in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash last night, Tuchel addressed why Lukaku was dropped. He said:
He added:
Tuchel concluded:
Chelsea secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Lille at Stamford Bridge without Lukaku’s services. Goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic were enough for the Blues to take a two-goal lead in the tie. Tuchel’s side will travel to France for the second leg, which will be contested on March 16.
They will next take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, February 27, at Wembley Stadium.
Romelu Lukaku has struggled to find consistent goals for Chelsea
Chelsea paid a club-record £97.5 million to sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan in the summer of 2021. The Blues lacked a proven goalscorer last season, a problem Lukaku was brought in to rectify.
However, the Belgian international has failed to settle in at Stamford Bridge. As things stand, the 28-year-old forward has scored just 10 goals from 28 matches across all competitions.
Lukaku also caused controversy a couple of months ago in an interview with Sky Sports. The forward said he was unhappy at Chelsea and wanted to return to Inter Milan at the earliest. The 28-year-old forward later went on to apologize to his teammates and Tuchel.
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