Lukaku, 28, rejoined Chelsea from Inter Milan in August last year on a club-record £97.5 million transfer. He begun life back at Stamford Bridge in good form, scoring four goals in his first four appearances. However, since then, his campaign has been largely disappointing, having scored only ten times in nearly 30 games across competitions.
His seven touches for the Blues against Crystal Palace last weekend is the lowest in the Premier League since records began in 2003-04. He now has just five goals in 17 league appearances this season.
Tuchel has responded to queries over the Belgian striker’s form. Tuchel told the press (via ESPN) before the defending champions’ Champions League last 16 first-leg game with Lille on Tuesday:
It is the latest setback in what has been a tumultuous season for Lukaku. In December, the forward did a controversial interview with Italian outlet Sky Italia. There, he was highly critical of Tuchel’s system, and was subsequently punished by the club with a one-match game ban. He subsequently produced an apology video as fans called for the team to take further action.
Lukaku has never really recovered from the fallout of that interview, and there is now huge pressure on the striker to perform or risk getting dropped. Tuchel added in that regard:
Can Romelu Lukaku bounce back at Chelsea?
Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea following his departure in 2014 to Everton with huge confidence. He was coming off a Serie A triumph with Inter Milan last season, where he bagged 24 goals and ten assists in 36 games.
His exploits helped Antonio Conte’s men win the Scudetto for the first time in 11 years.
However, his current poor run of form for Chelsea is alarming. Particularly because he is an experienced player, and already has an abundance of Premier League minutes and goals under his belt.
Before his move to Inter Milan, Lukaku had been Manchester United’s frontman. During his two-year period at Old Trafford, the Belgian scored 42 goals for the Red Devils.
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