DBasia.news – Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel sidelined Romelu Lukaku when they hosted Liverpool in the 2021-2022 Premier League. He had good reasons for doing so.
The match which took place at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (2/1), finally ended in a 2-2 draw. Chelsea would have had a better chance of winning if Lukaku had played.
Many people think that Lukaku’s disappearance from the Chelsea squad against Liverpool is a form of punishment from Tuchel. The Belgian striker caused quite a commotion in the changing room through his controversial interview with Sky Sports.
In the interview, Lukaku admitted that he was not comfortable with Chelsea’s style of play. He even opened up the opportunity to return to Inter Milan.
But Tuchel insisted the decision to sideline Lukaku was not a punishment. This was done to reduce the heated situation.
“It was just a decision to protect preparation for a game like this because there was too much commotion and that’s why I took the decision. Obviously he won’t be playing and from there we have a bit more focus on the game,” Tuchel said after Liverpool’s game.
“On Friday I thought we could handle it, then on Saturday there was a new statement out there and it got too big. Too much and we lost focus for the game.”
Tuchel’s reasoning makes sense. Lukaku will almost certainly be cheered by the crowd in the stadium if he appears in that match.
This will not only annoy Lukaku but also other Chelsea players. The worst possibility is what we are trying to avoid.
Interestingly, the idea to sideline Lukaku did not come entirely from Tuchel. The decision turned out to be made on the advice of a number of players.
“I don’t make decisions in the office or around my mind. I make decisions for the team and I listen to them,” he added.
“I hear their opinion, what they think and then I make a decision after I listen to them. It’s their decision. The club, the team and it’s not a personal thing for me to decide just based on my thoughts.”
Tuchel will try to resolve this issue as soon as possible. He is scheduled to hold a special meeting with Lukaku on Monday (3/1) local time.