Chelsea dropped record signing Romelu Lukaku from their squad for the Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday.
The £97.5 million ($129m) summer buy from Inter Milan was left out of the game at Stamford Bridge after his interview with Sky Italia emerged in which the Belgian questioned the system being used by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and talked up the prospect of a Serie A return.
The German coach explained his decision before the game in London. “The thing got too big and too noisy close to the match so I decided to protect the preparation of the match and that is why he is out,” said Tuchel.
“Of course we have spoken, twice. I have spoken to the main players then we had to realise it is too close to the match. It is too big. We delayed the decision and while we are doing that we have to protect the preparation of the match.
“We have a big match of football to play. We need full focus which is hard enough to get without this decision but that is why he is not playing. For sure it was a difficult decision to take.”
It is a big call from Tuchel but Lukaku's comments have clearly caused enough problems in the squad to warrant to such action. “Physically I am fine. But I'm not happy with the situation at Chelsea,” Lukaku said in the interview that took place earlier in December but was only released on Thursday. “Tuchel has chosen to play with another system. I won't give up, I'll be professional.
“I really hope in the depths of my heart to return to Inter, not at the end of my career, but at a still good level to hopefully win more.”
A surprised Tuchel admitted his frustrations with Lukaku’s comments on Friday, insisting he would seek talks with the player and handle the matter in-house.
Chelsea 1 Brighton 1: player ratings
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Andreas Christensen 6 – Tried to battle on after picking up an injury but had to be taken off at the break. AFP -
Cesar Azpilicueta 8 – Struck the post early on and was always in the way of Brighton attacks. An outstanding performance at the back from the experienced centre-back. AFP -
Callum Hudson-Odoi 6 – Too often disappointed with his final ball. AP Photo -
Reece James 6 – On the receiving end of a strong challenge in the 26th minute that cut his evening short. Reuters -
SUB: Marcos Alonso (James, 27) 6 – Stretched the play up the left flank but was ineffective for the most part. Spent most the game defending. AP Photo -
SUB: N’Golo Kante (Hudson-Odoi 67) 7 – Calmed the game down when he got on to the pitch as Chelsea began to gain control. AFP -
Dan Burn 7 – Won a lot of challenges and maintained a level of physicality for Graham Potter's side to help get Brighton moving forward. Reuters -
Solly March 6 – Worked hard going forward and in defence but couldn't find much with his crosses into the box. AFP -
Yves Bissouma 8 – An exemplary performance from Bissouma, who was physical against Chelsea and matched their intensity. Caught a number of the Chelsea midfielders napping to take possession and showed confidence carrying the ball forward. Reuters -
Tariq Lamptey 7 – Put in an impressive display against his former club which may make some home fans ask why they sold him. He was tricky on the ball and showed his pace on the flank, often forcing Chelsea players to have to foul him to stop his progress. AFP -
Alexis Mac Allister 6 – His freekick asked a question of Edouard Mendy. Played with creative freedom and always looked to play progressively. AFP -
SUB: Enock Mwepu (Lamptey, 65) 6 – Added pace as Brighton changed shape to a three at the back. PA -
SUB: Steven Alzate (Moder, 88) N/R – Introduced in the final minutes. AFP
“We don’t like it, of course, because it brings noise that we don’t need and is not helpful,” said Tuchel. “But on the other side, we don’t want to make more out of it than it actually is.
“You know very well how it is, it’s very easy to take lines out of context, to shorten lines to make headlines, then realise later it’s not so bad or what he meant. But let’s be honest, we don’t like it, because it’s noise we don’t need, we need a calm environment.”
But Tuchel has reacted by dropping his star striker. Second-placed Chelsea have won only one of their last four games, trail leaders Manchester City by 11 points and are one place and one point ahead of Liverpool.
Lukaku has scored in his last two Premier League appearances — against Aston Villa and Brighton — following his return to the side after testing positive for Covid-19. He has netted seven times in 18 games across all competitions this season.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have their own problems going into the game. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, centre-back Joel Matip and attacker Roberto Firmino are all out with suspected positive Covid tests. Manager Jurgen Klopp will also be missing.
