LUKAKU IS MENTALLY TIRED, SAYS TUCHEL
THOMAS Tuchel fears Romelu Lukaku is suffering mental fatigue after an unyielding year with club and country — and is toying with the idea of giving the striker a rest.
‘It is difficult to judge whether he needs a break or is it better to keep him on the pitch,’ said Chelsea boss Tuchel, ahead of tonight’s Champions League tie at home to Swedish side Malmo.
‘At this moment, I feel Romelu is a bit overplayed. He played in too many competitions over the summer, too many competitions with his country. He played the Nations League and he is a fantastic athlete and such a competitive guy that he never takes it easy.
‘He wants to be out there and win. He wanted to have a good outcome in the European Championship with Belgium and now in the Nations League it was a huge match for him. It meant a lot personally to play for his country so he takes it seriously.
‘If that does not work well he always puts it on his shoulders. He reflects about it and I feel he is mentally tired.’
In the last 12 months, Lukaku has scored 43 goals in 64 appearances for his clubs and his country. He fired Inter Milan to the Serie A title although he could not help Belgium fulfil their long quest for major honours.
They went out in the quarterfinals of Euro 2020 and then there was more disappointment on the international stage this month when they blew a two-goal lead and lost to France in the last seconds of their UEFA Nations League semi-final.
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez let Lukaku leave the camp without playing in their third-place game against Italy, citing muscle fatigue.
There has also been the intensity and emotion of Lukaku’s clubrecord £97.5million transfer to Chelsea, and his second spell at Stamford Bridge started with a burst of four goals in his first four matches.
He has not scored in six games since but did find the net against France a fortnight ago. ‘It is not that we have a huge concern,’ added Tuchel. ‘Just that he does not fully enjoy playing without a second thought. He is overplayed a little bit. This is the key point, once he finds his rhythm and once he finds it a bit easier.
‘I feel for him and for others like Mason Mount and Jorginho. They have a lot of weight to carry for their countries. They love it, but if you play a thousand matches a year it can become a bit heavy.’
Chelsea are top of the Premier League and unashamedly in pursuit of the biggest prizes, with the weight of expectation to brush aside teams like Brentford, who they hung on to beat 1-0 on Saturday, and Swedish champions Malmo, who have lost their first two games in Group H without scoring and conceding seven.
‘I am a big fan of quality over quantity,’ said Tuchel. ‘There is simply too much football and too many different competitions.’
Next month, his players will leave again for international fixtures and Chelsea have the FIFA Club World Cup to squeeze in, delayed from December and probably happening early next year.
‘There is no shame in having a tight match against Brentford and a late winner against Southampton,’ said Tuchel. ‘It is very important we don’t feel ashamed and are too critical of ourselves.
‘There is still room to improve, I agree. We lack a bit of form, a bit of freshness. We lack a bit of joy and the key reason is not the mentality or attitude. It is nothing else but that we are travelling through time zones, coming from planes and changing hotels. It can be tiring.’