Why Thomas Tuchel is right to drop Romelu Lukaku after controversial interview

Romelu Lukaku has been dominating the headlines following a controversial interview with Sky Sports. The Belgian made a big-money move to Stamford Bridge last summer, and was largely expected to help fire the Blues to more silverware.

However, his stay in West London has been anything but smooth sailing. After a bright start, he has had to battle with injuries and also spent some time on the sidelines after testing positive for COVID-19. Now back from his spell on the sidelines, Lukaku has struggled to break into Thomas Tuchel’s starting line-up, and has often been used as a substitute.

For a player who was bought for a whopping £97.5 million, this is not how Chelsea fans would have expected his first few months at the club to turn out. The content of his latest interview, though, is bound to complicate life at Stamford Bridge for Lukaku.

For now, he has been left out of Chelsea's matchday squad against Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday.

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Romelu Lukaku crossed the line

Romelu Lukaku got many Blues supporters infuriated when Sky Sports started serialising the said interview last week. The 28-year-old disrespected the club and their fans when he affirmed his deep love for former club Inter Milan.

Even worse, he revealed his intention to return to the Italian side, and advised his former teammate Lautaro Martinez not to join the Blues. There was also a part of the interview where Lukaku revealed that he wanted to join either Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, describing the trio as the three best clubs in the world.

For a player contracted to a club, such comments are uncalled for and unprofessional. Lukaku crossed the line, and he deserves everything that is coming at him.

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Tuchel sending a message to other players about discipline

Considering the tough disciplinarian he is, Thomas Tuchel has proven to be a man who doesn’t shy away from making the big calls.

He has excluded the striker from the squad that'll face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. It’s a tough decision, considering Chelsea's scarcity of options in attack. However, it was meant to send a message to other players that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

“We don’t like it (Lukaku’s comments). It brings noise that we don’t need, and it’s not helpful. We don’t want to make more out of it than it actually is,” Tuchel said in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by the Guardian.

“But you need to ask him. Everything you say is out there if you are such a big player like Romelu. He is experienced and should know what kind of value it has when he speaks out like this.”

Romelu Lukaku is one of the most experienced players in Chelsea’s dressing room. Dropping him for the Liverpool game is, therefore, a step in the right direction, irrespective of how the Blues fare against Jurgen Klopp’s side on Monday.