“Many Ball Losses”: Chelsea Manager Thomas Tuchel Criticizes Romelu Lukaku After Manchester City Defeat | OneFootball

Chelsea’s recent defeat to Manchester City means the defending champions now hold the biggest lead than any other top five leagues in Europe, as it stretched the gap to a whopping 13 points.

While Liverpool are expected to bridge the difference to 11 points on Sunday, it appears the title race in England is well and truly gone, much to the frustration of Chelsea, who were favoured by many as the favourites to secure the English league title this season after bagging the Champions League in May.

Shortly after the defeat to Manchester City, Thomas Tuchel sounded rather upset over his team’s disappointing loss, while criticising the performance of a certain Romelu Lukaku.

“Romelu Lukaku sometimes needs to [deliver[ the service. He is included in this, he had many ball losses in very promising circumstances. He had a huge chance.

“Of course, we want to serve him, but he is a part of the team and the performances up front, we can do much better,” said Tuchel, who hasn’t had a good relationship with the striker ever since his move from Inter Milan in the summer.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 04: Thomas Tuchel embraces Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea after their sides defeat in the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea at London Stadium on December 04, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

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The tension between the two escalated when Lukaku came out publicly to acknowledge his desire to return to Inter while questioning Tuchel’s system. The interview had angered the German, who made the decision to drop the striker in the subsequent game against Liverpool.

Although the Belgian released a formal apology to the Chelsea fans shortly afterwards, it is apparent that the forward has a long way to go before he can please the supporters and indeed, Thomas Tuchel, especially if he continues to perform poorly in the Premier League.

Since his return from Stamford Bridge, Lukaku has netted only five goals in 14 league appearances. He is likely to be involved in the action once again when Chelsea take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday.