Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel shared his thoughts regarding Romelu Lukaku before their match vs Norwich City
In his pre-match presentation (h/t Evening Standard), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel gave us an insight into the current dynamic of Romelu Lukaku with the Blues squad.
The 28-year-old was a goalscoring machine for his former club Inter Milan. He struck up a chord with Lautaro Martinez, helping the Nerazzurri to their first Serie A title in 11 years. His impressive performances saw the Blues secure the services of the former Manchester United player in a £97.5million deal.
The Belgian has largely struggled to recreate that same kind of form at Stamford Bridge. He scored some important goals in the FIFA Club World Cup for the West Londoners but hasn’t been able to showcase that same kind of form in the UEFA Champions League as well as the Premier League.
The German manager has often opted for Kai Havertz to fulfil the centre-forward role in recent times and the 22-year-old has been impressive in the said position. The former Bayer Leverkusen man can also play as an attacking midfielder which adds that much more versatility to the group.
Speaking to the press ahead of their clash against Norwich (h/t Evening Standard), the 48-year-old manager highlighted that Lukaku isn’t particularly impressed with the current situation. He also added that the Belgian striker is taking his current predicament in a positive manner.
“Romelu fights for it like everybody else. This is what we need. He is as positive as can be. He does not like the situation, nobody does. He handles it very professionally. I try to do my best to be respectful and supportive like for everybody else. Of course, it is not easy in the moment for him, but he is a member of the team, an important member of the team.”
Is there a way back for Lukaku?
The former Everton hitman has a substantial amount of experience in the Premier League. The 28-year-old was a beast under Antonio Conte and is clearly struggling to reach those same levels at Stamford Bridge. With Havertz impressing in a similar position, one can understand why the manager would want to pick the German over the Belgian.
That being said, the Blues are set to face a flurry of fixtures as we head into the business end of the season. With the West Londoners competing on several fronts Romelu could still have his fair share of chances to prove his mark before the season gets over.
A tactical shift could also be one of the main reasons why Lukaku has struggled to deliver the same results as the last campaign. Despite that, the Belgian has now been given enough time and the hierarchy and the club could start to grow frustrated if he doesn’t start hitting the mark more frequently.
Fellow teammate Timo Werner has also struggled to find his footing ever since making the switch to Stamford Bridge. The club have spent quite a lot of money on acquiring the likes of Werner and Lukaku but the duo has paid very little dividends in terms of their output on the pitch.
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This development seems even harder to digest considering the fact that we let go of our talented youngster Tammy Abraham who is currently enjoying a fruitful spell with AS Roma. Whilst Tuchel has asserted that the Belgian striker remains an important part of the team the fans would be hoping that they can see some semblance of consistency and better performances from him on the pitch.