Tuchel unhappy at Lukaku comments – ‘It’s just not helpful’

Thomas Tuchel says he is not happy with Romelu Lukaku after the striker expressed his displeasure with his situation at Chelsea, adding the quotes are “just not helpful”.

Lukaku – who joined Chelsea in a club-record transfer in the summer – gave an interview to Sky in Italy in which he said he was “not very happy with the situation” at Stamford Bridge, and complained of Tuchel’s decision to play “a different formation”.

The interview was recorded earlier this month but published on Thursday – just days before Chelsea face Liverpool, live on Sky Sports, in a huge showdown between the two sides bidding to keep pace with Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Asked for his reaction to Lukaku’s interview, Tuchel said: “I don’t like it because it brings noise that we don’t need. It’s just not helpful.

“On the other side, we don’t want to make more out of it than it actually is. You know very well how it is – it’s very easy to take lines out of context. It’s very easy to shorten lines and make headlines, then later realise that it’s not so bad and maybe not what he meant.

“But let’s be honest that we don’t like it.”

Tuchel also revealed that Lukaku did not speak to him about his feelings before the interview went live, and that he was taken aback by the striker’s apparent unhappiness.

“I don’t feel him unhappy,” said Tuchel. “I feel him the exact opposite, that’s why it’s a surprise.

“But I’m the wrong person to ask.”

Lukaku’s comments were published after a period in which he scored three goals in four games for Chelsea, and it appeared he was regaining form following a spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Tuchel said the Belgian’s feelings should have been dealt with “behind closed doors, for sure”.

The head coach was also asked whether Lukaku would be spoken to – and whether he could even face disciplinary action – replying: “We will and we will do it behind closed doors.

“We will do it openly, like I think the relationship has always been. No further comments in public on that.”

Lukaku’s interview came to light just a day after Chelsea conceded a late equaliser at home to Brighton to fall further behind City in the title race.

It was the fourth time in five home league games that Tuchel’s side dropped points at Stamford Bridge, and the German admitted Lukaku’s words could have taken on extra significance given his side’s underwhelming form.

“Maybe it feels louder but I think it would have been loud anyway with these kind of headlines,” Tuchel said. “We cannot win enough to not talk about these headlines.

“Everything you say is out there in public if you are such a big player like Romelu. He’s an experienced player and he knows what kind of value it has when he speaks messages like this.

“Maybe it’s a bit easier to deal with [if you are winning] like everything – training, press conferences. Everything is easier when you win but this has nothing to do with that.”

Analysis: Which change is Lukaku referring to?

Sky Sports’ Gerard Brand

Lukaku’s main gripe seems to be with a “different formation”, but it’s difficult to see which change the Belgian is referring to. When Lukaku joined Chelsea, Tuchel was immediately asked what this would mean for the 3-4-2-1 system that helped them back into the top four and to Champions League glory.

Tuchel said in August: “We now have the chance also to play with two strikers, like they did at Inter with [Lukaku], or to continue with three strikers. We will see now how this works out.”

Was Lukaku promised a consistent strike partner in Timo Werner, someone to drop deep and do the dirty work while he worked the key areas in the penalty area and on the shoulder of the defender? For Inter, Lukaku had Lautaro Martinez or Alexis Sanchez beside him for practically the entire season, but for Chelsea that partnership role is unclear.

Lukaku and Werner have started only five times together this season, and only twice as a traditional front two. In the first of those two games, Lukaku and Werner were isolated in a 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City, and in the second they barely escaped Brentford with a 1-0 victory. Elsewhere, in Lukaku’s absence, Werner has been given opportunities to find form, but hasn’t grasped it, and Tuchel has more than often opted for a front three.

After returning from injury in late November, Lukaku was given only chunks of minutes – eight against Man Utd, 21 against Watford, 45 against West Ham and three against Leeds – opting to play a false nine in Kai Havertz on several occasions.

Tuchel will of course claim he has been protecting his ?90m signing on his return from injury, but like any player, Lukaku wants to be on the pitch as much as possible. He said after the win at Villa on Boxing Day: “I think I needed a performance like this today, it has been difficult as every player wants to play. The manager has his reasons but I kept working hard.”

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