Forward Romelu Lukaku needs to find ‘that one spark’ to reignite his Blues career
Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku needs to find “that one spark” to get back to his best says Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.
The Belgium international returned to Chelsea in a £97.5m deal last August but has recently fallen out of favour.
Lukaku has started two of Chelsea’s past 13 matches in all competitions and has just five league goals this term.
“After period of injury he [Lukaku] lacks simply the fitness for matches, which is not pointing the finger it’s just a fact,” Tuchel said.
“It’s not his fault. I don’t think he [Lukaku] really needs inspiration. What he needs is maybe that one moment, that one spark.
“Normally he would be a natural starter against Crystal Palace [in the FA Cup] in terms also of the amount of minutes that Kai Havertz has played now and the physicality that Kai gives to matches, but it’s in the crucial time of the season where you need to have a certain rhythm.”
Lukaku has at times been hampered by injury and illness since returning to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan.
However, he also appeared to criticise Tuchel’s tactics and hinted he wanted to leave the club in an interview with Sky Sport Italia earlier in the season.
And while the 28-year-old appeared to find some form over the festive period he has subsequently dropped down the pecking order with Timo Werner and Havertz being seemingly preferred to occupy the central striking role as he searches for his first Premier League goal of 2022.
“If you see our matches between Brentford and Real Madrid and between Real Madrid and Southampton you can see in that short period of time you see the huge amount of effort we put in to become a winning team again,” Tuchel said.
“It goes from there and as I said Romelu should have had a goal against Real Madrid and Crystal Palace but he was missing the luck.
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“He is an option if he starts [against Arsenal]. If he starts we need all he has. Maybe he can’t play 90 minutes but maybe he could put everything out there in the first 60 minutes.”
“After period of injury he [Lukaku] lacks simply the fitness for matches, which is not pointing the finger it’s just a fact,” Tuchel said.
“It’s not his fault. I don’t think he [Lukaku] really needs inspiration. What he needs is maybe that one moment, that one spark.
“Normally he would be a natural starter against Crystal Palace [in the FA Cup] in terms also of the amount of minutes that Kai Havertz has played now and the physicality that Kai gives to matches, but it’s in the crucial time of the season where you need to have a certain rhythm.”
Lukaku has at times been hampered by injury and illness since returning to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan.
However, he also appeared to criticise Tuchel’s tactics and hinted he wanted to leave the club in an interview with Sky Sport Italia earlier in the season.
And while the 28-year-old appeared to find some form over the festive period he has subsequently dropped down the pecking order with Timo Werner and Havertz being seemingly preferred to occupy the central striking role as he searches for his first Premier League goal of 2022.
“If you see our matches between Brentford and Real Madrid and between Real Madrid and Southampton you can see in that short period of time you see the huge amount of effort we put in to become a winning team again,” Tuchel said.
“It goes from there and as I said Romelu should have had a goal against Real Madrid and Crystal Palace but he was missing the luck.
“He is an option if he starts [against Arsenal]. If he starts we need all he has. Maybe he can’t play 90 minutes but maybe he could put everything out there in the first 60 minutes.”
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Romelu Lukaku’s glorious return to Chelsea last summer hasn’t been everything it promised to be.
The Belgian forward returned to London from Inter in the summer, for a club record £97.5m after leaving Chelsea seven years before. Lukaku was a Chelsea fan and idolised Didier Drogba as he came through at Anderlecht, but was rarely given a fair shot in his first spell at the club, leaving on loan to West Brom and Everton.
After a less successful spell at Manchester United, Lukaku found his groove in Italy, becoming the star in their Scudetto win last season.
Yet his return to Chelsea has resembled his first spell at the club much more than his time in Italy. Between injuries, some out of place comments and poor performances, Lukaku has only started 12 Premier League matches.
Manager Thomas Tuchel believes it’s merely a case of one moment going his way however. The German stated that Lukaku just needed ‘one spark, one moment’ to reignite his form, speaking to SkySports ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Arsenal.
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku’s struggles in front of goal this season have been down to lack of fitness and the Belgium international needs to find a “spark” to reignite his career at the London club, manager Thomas Tuchel said on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old has failed to make an impact since his big-money move from Inter Milan last year, netting only five times in the Premier League amid limited game time due to injuries and COVID-19.
“All he needs is that spark. He maybe would’ve been a natural starter against Crystal Palace given the minutes Kai [Havertz] has played,” Tuchel said.
“But after a period of injury he lacked the fitness for matches. I don’t point the finger at him, it’s just a fact… Romelu should have had a goal against Real Madrid and Crystal Palace, but if he plays we need all that he has.”
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic will miss at least two weeks after injuring his ankle in the FA Cup semi-final win over Palace while Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell also remain absent through injury.
“Kova is out of the game, ligament injury… Ben will be able to join in team training with the youth team, this will be his next step and hopefully, he can join our training at the end of the season. With Callum, it’s day by day,” Tuchel said.
Chelsea are third in the table on 62 points, five ahead of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand.
“We will fight hard. We have a crucial four matches coming in a short period of time with Arsenal, West Ham, Man United and Everton… it’s a big challenge physically but mentally to dive into the main competition that is Premier League,” Tuchel said.
“It seems like things are pretty safe [in the top-four race] but things can change so, so quickly.”
