Chelsea beat Lille this Tuesday, 2-0, and forwarded the classification to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. However, the presence of Belgian Romelu Lukaku on the bench drew the attention of English fans. In a press conference after the match, coach Thomas Tuchel explained the decision and cited a “protection” for the striker, as he is not in a good phase.
“Yes, I wanted to protect Lukaku. It wasn’t the time to put him after the match where everyone was focused on the few touches he had, to again put the player on a bonfire. It was the time to take a step back This was the decision, and that’s it”, explained the German.
“You can see that we had a good victory, a strong performance. It was a difficult match and all the questions are about Lukaku. The focus is huge. There are nine other players who didn’t play. We can’t forget that. We consider it a team sport and the 11 players who were on the pitch gave their all to follow through on what we planned and contribute to their teammates. The players on the bench need to do the same. That’s how it works for Chelsea and for us.”
Lukaku was signed by Chelsea in August of last year, for 115 million euros (about R$ 704 million), returning to the club where he had played 10 years ago.
The athlete’s high numbers and numbers at Inter Milan made the fan create great expectations around the Belgian. This season, the player has scored just seven goals in 21 games played.
The return game of the Champions League, against the French, takes place on March 16, at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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