Following a strong start to his second life at Stamford Bridge, the Belgium international has hit a barren patch, coinciding with back-to-back defeats
Thomas Tuchel has rebuffed Antonio Conte’s claim that Chelsea are yet to figure out how to properly use Romelu Lukaku, though the Blues boss admitted his predecessor is right on some counts.
Following a stirring start to his second stint at Stamford Bridge, the Belgium international has hit a barren patch, with his side slipping to defeats against Manchester City and Juventus in that time.
Ex-Chelsea coach Conte, who led Lukaku to a Serie A crown with Inter last term, suggested Tuchel has not figured out the best approach for the player yet, but now the German has responded.
What has been said?
“He [Conte] was obviously not on the telly after the Tottenham game,” Tuchel was quoted by Chelsea’s official website ahead of his side’s clash with Southampton this weekend.
“Of course, if you watch this game against Juventus isolated, he is right on that point and he’s obviously in the TV studio to analyse this one game – so he’s right, no discussion about it.
“But it’s not a general thing. If you watch the other games he’s maybe not right. I don’t feel offended. I even saw [him on TV] while I was showering before the match in the hotel.”
German acknowledges link-up vitality
Tuchel further pointed to the praise Lukaku and his squadmates commanded pre-game from pundits as a sign of their efforts, but admitted his side’s link-up play has suffered in recent weeks.
The lack of Mason Mount, ruled out of the defeats to City and Juventus through injury, has proved costly, having already proven his worth for club and country as an integral link in the attacking chain.
“Juventus made [Lukaku] isolated,” the former PSG boss added. “It felt like seven players around him all the time in the box. They did it good and they did it in their style. We have to accept it.
“It’s not a general problem. We need to look at the games very individually. Any striker in the world would be isolated if we play so poorly in transition, like we did against Man City.”
The bigger picture
Having suffered rare back-to-back defeats for his tenure at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel will be keen to flip the switch and get back to winning ways against the Saints on Saturday.
Amid a congested top-four battle, the German will know that any slip up is likely to be punished by rivals such as City, Liverpool and Manchester United, among others.
The return of Mount, who is expected to feature before heading off for the international break with England, will be a timely boost to crafting attacking chances for the hosts at Stamford Bridge.
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