'Not helpful' - Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel on Romelu Lukaku's explosive interview
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Updated 31/12/2021 at 13:40 GMT
In an interview with Sky Sport Italia from earlier this month, which was only released on Thursday, Romelu Lukaku said he was not happy with his role but that he would be "professional" and keep working hard. Thomas Tuchel has suggested that it has become an unwelcome distraction, but says he will have a private discussion with his star striker.
'We don’t like it, it's not helpful’ - Tuchel critical of Lukaku's 'unhappy' comments
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel says comments from Romelu Lukaku about how unhappy he is with his role at the club are "not helpful" but believes they could be out of context.
In an interview with Sky Sport Italia, recorded earlier this month but only released on Thursday, the Belgium striker said he was "not happy about the situation" he found himself in on his return to Stamford Bridge, because the German is playing a system that does not suit him.
The caveat is that Lukaku had only recently returned from an ankle injury at the time, before he also tested positive for Covid-19.
But speaking at a news conference on Friday morning, Tuchel hinted it was an unwelcome distraction and said he would deal with the comments in private.
"We don't like it of course because it brings noise that we don't need and it's not helpful," he said.
"But on the other side we don't want to make more out of it than it actually is. It's very easy to take lines out of context, it's very easy to shorten lines, make headlines, and later realise that it's not bad, it's not what you meant.
Let's be honest, we don't like it, I don't like it. It's noise we don't need. We need a calm environment, focused, and it does not help.
"I don't see him unhappy. I feel the exact opposite if you ask me yesterday morning. That's why it's a surprise but I'm the wrong person to ask."
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'We don't have to hug each other' - Tuchel on Lukaku being 'unhappy'
Tuchel said discussions with Lukaku will be "open" and will take place "behind closed doors", adding the comments do "not reflect the behaviour Romelu displays at Cobham (training ground)".
The star striker, who returned to Chelsea in the summer after a successful spell at Inter Milan, has looked back to something resembling his best form in the past week. The forward scored in a 3-1 Premier League win at Aston Villa on Boxing Day and followed that up with a header in a 1-1 draw with Brighton on Wednesday night.
He is in line to start in Sunday's crucial game with Liverpool, which neither team can afford to lose with Manchester City now eight points clear at the top of the table.
Tuchel says he will take a calm approach to dealing with the situation, and says there is no problem if a player wants to voice their feelings.
"It's not necessary for the dressing room to be always in harmony. You don't have to hug each other and love each other every day," he said.
"Sometimes it's good to be on the edge, sometimes it's good to be in disharmony, when it is in between certain boundaries.
"The thing with Romelu is that I don't think anyone in this building is aware he's unhappy. That's why (there is) surprise at the statement. That's why we need to check with him now, because I can see no reason why it should be like this.
"So I will wait to see what Romelu has to say and then we will deal with this."
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