"Masterclass from start to finish" - Micah Richards lavishes praise on Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel for handling of Romelu Lukaku saga

Micah Richards has praised Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel for the way he has handled the Romelu Lukaku saga.

The Belgian forward created controversy during an interview with Sky Italia. He admitted on air that Chelsea were not his first-choice club and he would have preferred to stay back at Inter Milan.

Lukaku further said he was unhappy with the tactics of Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

Romelu Lukaku was dropped from the squad for the next match against Liverpool, with the player issuing a formal apology earlier this week. He went on air to express his regret and apologized to all concerned parties.

Lukaku was restored to the lineup with an official warning and a fine by Tuchel. Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has now praised Tuchel for how he handled the incident.

He told Daily Mail:

"The saga with Romelu Lukaku is over and, for that, significant credit must go to Thomas Tuchel. Chelsea's head coach has gone up considerably in my estimation for how he dealt with the episode, as it was a masterclass from start to finish.

"I wondered how everything would play out last Friday when Lukaku's interview with Sky Italia was broadcast. At the back of my mind, I had the doubts around Tuchel that had surfaced from his time at Paris Saint-Germain, with reports that he could not handle a dressing full of big stars."

Richards added:

"But Tuchel never put a foot out of place from start to finish. He had to drop Lukaku against Liverpool; when he spoke to the media, he gave enough information without ever belittling his player and also protected his club's asset. Chelsea can move on and that's all down to their manager."

Chelsea facing injury crisis ahead of crucial matches

The Blues have a packed calendar this season and it has become more difficult due to their bad luck with injuries. Chelsea have missed a sizable chunk of their squad in numerous games this season and the situation continues to be the same.

They currently have Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah out injured. James is scheduled to return in February while Chilwell has been ruled out for the season.

Chelsea are also without Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante, both of whom have contracted Covid-19.

Chelsea have a busy run of fixtures coming up. They take on Tottenham Hotspur next in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals.