Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reveals why he took off Romelu Lukaku against Brentford
Thomas Tuchel was handed a welcome reprieve when Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku was declared fit to take part in team training on Thursday.
An injury forced the 28-year-old to withdraw from the Belgium squad last weekend ahead of their UEFA Nations League third-placed playoff against Italy. Thankfully it was not serious and he made the cut to face Brentford.
Lukaku, however, lasted only 77 minutes before being taken off. The striker had an effort ruled out in the first half for offside and has now gone four games without a goal.
According to The Metro, Tuchel has now come clean as to why his ace striker did not last 90 minutes against Brentford. The German goes on to insist that his decision had little to do with the player’s current form.
” I am not concerned as I felt him a bit tired and then isolated because we were defending as a block too deep.”
Brentford piled on the pressure in the final 20 minutes of the game. Thomas Frank’s side threw the kitchen sink at Chelsea as they looked to come back from Ben Chilwell’s 45th-minute volley.
With the Blues largely limited to a defensive action, Tuchel believes his forwards including Lukaku were not making much of an impact and were isolated upfront. The Belgian was taken off for German international Kai Havertz.
“Timo and Romelu, were too far away to help us and escape the pressure.”
It will please Lukaku to know that despite his poor run of form, he continues to have his manager’s backing. But then it is to be expected given the club-record fee that the Bleus paid to get the player back to Stamford Bridge.
“That was the problem today. But I have no concerns.”
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Chelsea’s hero on the night was goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The Senegalese international was a rock at the back and single-handedly kept Brentford at bay. The win took the Blues to the summit of the English Premier League.