Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has explained why striker Romelu Lukaku has been dropped from the Blues team for their important Champions League clash with Lille. Lukaku was criticised for his performance during Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend and has been left out of the starting 11 for the latest match.
Lukaku touched the ball just seven times against the Eagles and split opinion with his display.
Some pundits felt the blockbuster £97million summer arrival was not clever enough in his movement to receive the ball.
Others felt that his team-mates should have done more to pass the ball to their star striker.
And Tuchel has instead opted to use Kai Havertz as the focal point of his attack for the Champions League last-16 clash with Lille.
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The German has explained that tiredness is the reason for Lukaku occupying a place on the substitutes’ bench.
However, he also hinted that he was unhappy with the performance of the 28-year-old.
“It is not an indirect result of that [performance against Palace],” Tuchel told BT Sport.
“He looked a little exhausted and you have to consider he played a lot. A lot of travelling and extra time.
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“He was not involved in our game, it’s sometimes like this with strikers. If they struggle a bit with self-confidence, if they struggle a little bit to find the space and to get involved against a defensive side, it can be like this.
“It’s of course not what we want and not what Romelu wants, but it’s also not the time to laugh about him, make jokes about him.
“He’s in the spotlight of course, and we will protect him.”
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