Tuchel puts a layer on Lukaku

More really in the odor of sanctity at Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku spends more time on the bench than on the ground. Regularly singled out by Thomas Tuchel, « Big Rom » was once again publicly targeted by his coach for his insufficient physical condition.

A quarter of an hour against Palace this weekend. Absent at Southampton and Madrid. Half an hour against Brentford. The last time Romelu Lukaku started a game was a month ago in the Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough. Author of a thunderous start to the season with Chelsea, the Belgian striker has had a very complicated last few months with the Blues.

In the London capital, which he found last summer seven years after his departure, Lukaku is struggling to regain his performance and seems to have lost his confidence as much as that of Thomas Tuchel. Regularly targeted by his coach in the media, the 28-year-old striker received a new spade from the German technician on Sunday. Who pointed to his lack of physical condition after Chelsea qualified for the final of the competition against the Eagles (2-0), a meeting where the Belgian found the post alone in front of the goal in added time.

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Be satisfied with rare tenure in the Cup

“He was not physically ready for the intensity of the FA Cup semi-finals, Tuchel said at a press conference. It is not easy to approach such a match after an injury (Lukaku had not played the last two games because of a problem with his heel, editor’s note). great chances to start today. »

Romelu Lukaku would probably have been aligned from the start, since Chelsea were playing in the Cup, the only competition where Tuchel places his striker as a starter now. He had thus started on the bench the first quarter of the Champions League against Real, where his clumsy entry had been widely talked about across the Atlantic.

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Tuchel: ‘Wait, be patient, work hard’

« He had a huge chance against Real Madrid and things can go very fast. Nobody knows what that goal would have done for us if he had taken his chance with a header late in the game, Tuchel said. C « That’s exactly what he has to do: wait, be patient, work hard and put the team first. Be ready to help the team, because as a striker you can help in seconds. »

Overtaken in the hierarchy of top strikers by Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, « Big Rom » sees his future darken from week to week in London. He was transferred last summer from Inter Milan in a record transaction for the English club (115 million euros).