‘Not the time for that’ –Tuchel reacted to Lukaku’s 7 touches against Crystal Palace
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku had a game to forget in the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
However, the Belgian striker had 2 touches of the ball in the first half, with one of those being the first pass of the game from kick-off.
At the end of the game, Lukaku had only touched the ball 7 times.
Lukaku’s performance has been criticised by both fans and pundits, but Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has insisted that this is a time to defend the Belgian and not criticise him.
The Blues boss said ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Lille: “What can I do? I don’t know. Well, now we have to deal with it. The data is out there and the data speaks a certain language so he was not involved in our game.
“It’s sometimes like this with strikers, if they struggle a bit with self-confidence, if they struggle a little bit to find the space and get involved against a good defensive side.
“It can be like this and of course it’s not what we want, and not want Romelu wants, but it’s also not the time to laugh about him and make jokes about him. He is in the spotlight, of course, and we will protect him because he’s our player.”