LUK OF FEAR
Tuchel warns striker will terrify defences after he sinks Arsenal
THOMAS TUCHEL believes Romelu Lukaku has struck fear into the Premier League’s defenders after Chelsea’s new signing sank Arsenal.
The £97.5million striker took just 15 minutes to make his mark in his second spell with the
Blues. Arsenal were booed off at the Emirates to pile the pressure on Mikel Arteta, right, and Chelsea boss Tuchel said of Lukaku: “Nobody likes to play against him. Everybody is
aware of his physicality but there is also his link-up play.”
Lukaku was man of the match and Chelsea look the real deal with him leading their line.
Tuchel said: “He has some depth in his game and we can overcome pressing with long balls.
“We can play into him when he has defenders on his back and we still don’t lose our strength in counter-attack because he can run into open spaces. He is very smart, friendly and open so it was easy for him to connect with everybody.”
Chelsea’s win means they top the league with six points and two clean sheets – with five goals scored from their two games.
The European champions now go to Anfield on Saturday for a heavyweight clash with Liverpool, and Tuchel added: “It’s a perfect start. This being a London derby gives us lots of confidence. It is what you need as a group – experiences together and good victories.”
Arteta insisted Arsenal’s fans are behind him despite the boos.
“I saw a lot of excitement from them at the beginning,” he said.
“They really tried to push the team. When you are 2-0 down at half-time nobody is happy. We are fooling ourselves if we think they were.
“But in the second half they were behind them. Even the players said they felt it. But in the end they were frustrated.”
Arsenal’s £50million defender Ben White is understood to have contracted Covid and is among nine players unavailable to Arteta.
But striker PierreEmerick Aubameyang returned from illness to make it on to the pitch for the second half.
Arteta said: “It is difficult when you have nine big players missing. That is a big reason for the gap.”