Chelsea
broke their transfer record in August by signing Romelu Lukaku in the hope that he would dismiss them as
England Premier Soccer League
League Champions. However, in the first week of January, the Blues found themselves trailing the leaders.
Manchester City football club
10 points, and their €115 million acquisition faces a decidedly uncertain future.
Last January, head coach Thomas Tuchel wrote himself into the European Championships by inspiring a team with a clear fault line that transformed them into the
Chelsea
of history, and now he must begin again.
This time the task is even tougher as more is being asked of him. Having taken over from Frank Lampard about a year ago.
Chelsea
Ninth in the table, 11 points behind the leaders.
Almost no one expected the title challenge, and no one foresaw the
European crown
's second success in the final, beating
Manchester City football club
for an extraordinary transformation. But the signing of Lukaku should be the next step in their evolution, the final step in the jigsaw of transforming a profligate team into one sharp enough to be champions, an expensive but desirable piece of the puzzle.
However, the reality is that Lukaku has never been a part of this
Chelsea
The final choice for the team, although he returns to the story of his return to the club he first joined 10 years ago, this time following two impressive players to become one of the most complete strikers in world football at the international level.
Milan (Italy)
's second season with
Serie A
Championship and league MVP status ends.
Instead of being part of the missing pieces, he has been struggling to adapt - and that has affected the manager as much as Lukaku himself.
Tuchel initially explained some of the reasons for this away from home, claiming in October that Lukaku's 2020
European cup (e.g. soccer)
The team was "overplayed" and "mentally exhausted" in the UEFA Nations League match against Belgium. However, the
Chelsea
Struggled all year to find attacking cohesion with Lukaku in the team, lack of proper service coupled with stubborn form prior to injury and later covid-19.
The Blues' record with and without Lukaku shows his small difference: without Lukaku, they scored more goals in fewer games (29 in 13 matches compared to his 23 in 18) and achieved a better expected number of goals (29.95 vs.) 22.32).
There is a suspense factor on both sides, but Lukaku's price tag plus the
Chelsea
Ruthlessly high standards mean that judgment is quick and harsh.
So it was against this backdrop that Lukaku unwisely gave an interview to Sky Sport Italia, making things so awkward that he felt forced to leave the 28-year-old out of his playing XI for Sunday's 2-2 draw vs.
Liverpool (England)
Rather than take full responsibility or provide vague answers to avoid controversy, Lukaku claimed he was "unhappy" and that Tuchel was playing a "different formation" than expected, even suggesting he wouldn't be leaving for international duty.
Milan (Italy)
The club is not experiencing financial difficulties.
In addition, he offered to return to the international
Milan (Italy)
The likelihood is "not at the end of my career, but when I'm still at the top level". Lukaku will be 29 years old next year; his years at the "top" are limited, and such a provocative statement, especially the club's unsanctioned interview, fired the starting pistol amid speculation of a January exit.
Rough waters lie ahead. Tuchel will meet with Lukaku on Monday to discuss his motivation for the interview, after he took a tough stance against the
Liverpool (England)
of the game completely ignored him.
"We decided to postpone the decision and have a procedure to go deeper [into the study] and protect Romelu from a hasty decision because we need to talk," Tuchel said after Sunday's game. "We need to read the full interview. We need to stay calm and not lose our heads. It was just a decision to protect the preparation for such a game because there was too much noise."
There's no doubt that having Lukaku in the second half against
Liverpool (England)
of the game substitutions would have been more helpful, as players on both teams were tired towards the end of a gloriously chaotic game. Christian Pulisic may have scored, but either he, kai havertz or substitute callum hudson-odoi (all of whom occupied the center forward position at times) seemed to fit naturally into the role that Lukaku is at his best when he's composed.
Considering the continued struggles of timo werner.
Chelsea
Mistakes in the forward line remain one of the key issues explaining why their title challenge has stumbled.
Tuchel is in the
Chelsea
Their success has been built on an excellent defensive record, conceding only 26 goals in his first 52 games. Since - and including - a 3-2 loss to West Ham United on December 4, they have been breached 13 times in 11 games.
This loss of consistency has exacerbated problems at the top of the pitch, a disconnect that has left Lukaku with a poor record of seven goals in 18 games. Tuchel's 3-4-2-1 formation promotes
Chelsea
Huge improvement in defense, but Lukaku seemed to hint at
Anthony (name)
O Conte's 3-5-2 Formation in the International
Milan (Italy)
It has been a huge success. The main difference is that instead of having two number 10s behind him, Lukaku has a striker partner to act as a foil, thus changing the angle of attack.
Extracting the best from Lukaku still feels like a task that could define the length of Tuchel's tenure. Remarkably, supporters stayed with the team in Lukaku's absence on Sunday, backing Tuchel, who took command on more than one occasion in the second half, urging the home crowd to be more vocal as his side searched for a winner.
Chelsea
s managerial tenure may be unraveling at an alarming rate - perhaps faster than anywhere else in England - but Tuchel is still banking from Champions League success and will need the support of the club's hierarchy over the next few days as he manages Lukaku's impact interview.
Arsenal (name)
Boss Mikel Arteta has taken a decisive stance against his own star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, albeit for different reasons of club discipline, and the early signs of the decision's success came from the club's senior figures acting in unison rather than undermining the manager's authority.
That's why Tuchel consulted the more experienced players in the dressing room before dropping Lukaku. That unity must be maintained, especially as Lukaku could be tempted by the winds of change blowing in from the open transfer window.
As far as Tuchel is concerned, he seems convinced that Lukaku will not leave this month.
"When we make a decision like this, first of all we need to assess the situation, not listen to the media, not listen to the pressure, but understand what he said and why he said it, and that's the meeting on Monday," Tuchel said. "From there we will make a decision. If the decision is for him to play on Wednesday (against Tottenham)
Tottenham Hotspur (city in Morocco)
of the League Cup semifinals), and that was the decision.
"I can't tell you now because we need to talk and understand the situation better before we can continue. Once the situation is clear, there is no doubt he will keep our players and we will protect our players."
If Lukaku returns to the team and scores goals, all will be quickly forgotten. The problem is, that prospect doesn't look any closer to reality than it did back in August.
