Tuchel reveals face to face discussion with Lukaku as Chelsea makes striker decision
After Having face to face discussion with Lukaku yesterday, following the striker’s omission from the squad for the Liverpool game, Tuchel today issued an update on how the meeting went.
According to Tuchel, Lukaku has apologised for his actions and is now back in the squad for training ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final versus Tottenham.
Tuchel said: “We are happy we took the time that it needed to look on it and to talk calmly about it. This is what we did.
“Romelu apologised and is back in the squad for today’s training which is later. For me, the most important thing was to clearly understand and believe that it was not intentional.
“He did not do this intentionally to create this kind of noise in front of a big game.
“Secondly, it was the very first time. Before, when he seemed in his opinion to be ready to play from the start after his injury, and we thought he needed to readapt to the intensity a little bit more, there was never the slightest behaviour against the team.
“So it was the very first time that we actually felt in this way. And these are very important points to stay calm, understanding that it’s not as big as maybe people want it to be. It’s also not small, but it’s small enough to stay calm, to accept an apology and to move forward.”
Meanwhile, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has revealed he would want to face a Chelsea team with Lukaku.
Lukaku was dropped for Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge following a controversial interview he granted an Italian media outlet.
Conte said: “I think it’s always a good thing to play against a team that have all their players available.
“I think that for the people who watch the game, it’s good to see the best players on the pitch.”