Get off my back says Lukaku
Courtois keeps faith
THIBAUT COURTOIS believes Chelsea have enough quality in their squad to claim a top-four place and Champions League qualification.
Antonio Conte’s team are outside the top four for the first time since early October after three defeats in their last four league games.
Next up is a daunting trip to league leaders and Carabao Cup winners Manchester City on Sunday.
The 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford left Chelsea two points behind fourth-placed have won something and I want to be part of them. The road is still far ahead, but I’m ambitious and I’ll work every day for my team to win.”
Chelsea, his first club in England, wanted to take him back to Stamford Bridge last summer but he says he has no regrets about his reunion with Jose Mourinho, even though the United boss sold him when he was in charge of the London club. “When I make a choice it’s with my head and my heart,” said Lukaku. “I made the right choice for me.
“I’m in a good situation. I’m with a manager and players who push me every Tottenham, but that margin could increase to five by the time they next take the field, with Spurs taking on struggling Huddersfield at home on Saturday.
Yet Courtois, right, whose future is undecided with talks on a new contract still ongoing, predicted the chase for the top-four places will go down to the very last game of the season. “Manchester day. I’m playing for the biggest club in the world.”
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, Lukaku’s coach at international level for Belgium, believes his allround game has improved this season.
“His goals record is good but he is now more of a complete striker because he is adding assists to his game and that’s good news for us this summer,” said Henry.
NEW SCOTLAND boss Alex McLeish is planning talks with Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay to persuade him to pledge his international allegiance to Scotland rather than England. McTominay, 21, was born in Lancaster but has a Scottish father. City are obviously far away, but for the second, third and fourth spot there are five teams so it will be hard until the last match of the season,” he said. “We are a very good team but there are some other good teams around us as well. I am very disappointed, all the team are after Sunday. The first half we controlled, we dominated them. I don’t think they really deserved to win more than us.”