Chelsea face Malmo in the Champions League and there are many questions surrounding the mentality and performances of the players. The man at the forefront of questioning is Belgian international, Romelu Lukaku.
The saviour of Chelsea’s summer transfer window had a great start to his season, however, his form has dropped off as the season progressed. There are not many excuses to give for the £97.5 million Chelsea star however Thomas Tuchel has taken to the press with one - he is tired. Is that a good enough excuse for the man who was bought to solve Chelsea’s goal-scoring issues?
“In the very moment, I feel Romelu a bit overplayed. I think he played too many competitions over the summer, too many competitions with the national team and now he has played the Nations League. He is a fantastic athlete and such a competitive guy that he digs in deep, he wants to win these things and he never takes it easy and judges games.” Tuchel said in Tuesday's Champions League pre-match press conference.
Since the 2020/21 season ended, Lukaku played nine matches for his country and ten matches for Chelsea. We could argue that this is a large number of matches for a player however I look to players such as Karim Benzema who have featured in 22 games since the end of last season and wonder where the discrepancy is. Both forwards are in top goal-scoring shape, however, Karim Benzema seems to be able to replicate his performances for both country and club whereas for Lukaku his apps for Belgium seem to be where he shines.
“He wants to be out there and win [but] I feel him a bit mentally tired. Not hugely that we have a concern but for me, he does not fully enjoy without having second or third thoughts, for me he overplayed and this is the key point. Once he finds his rhythm and things a bit easier he will be fine but it is hard to judge if he really needs a break or if we need to keep him on the pitch.” Thomas Tuchel.
As Chelsea prepare for their Match against Malmo, resting Lukaku would be the wrong plan of action. He is more than capable of finding his goal-scoring rhythm. If there is a match for him to score goals and regain his form, it would be tonight.
Both Zenit and Juventus have been able to slot three goals past Malmo already during the group stages, so we can only assume that this should be a fitting encounter for the Belgian.
It’s clear that Lukaku is in need of a change around him. I do not think he needs a break, maybe he needs a tactical solution. I appreciate Tuchel looking out for Chelsea players, putting their mental and physical health first at all times. It’s one of his best traits as a manager.
However, we have to face the facts here. This is a World-Class striker who has had no trouble finding the back of the net for his country - he doesn’t need a break… not yet.
Do you think Lukaku needs a break? Follow our CareFree Chelsea trends writer Anita Abayomi on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
