Thomas Tuchel provides update on Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner injuries

Chelsea trounced Malmo 4-0 in Champions League, but the victory was soured a bit as Lukaku and Werner were both forced off with injuries before half-time.

Thomas Tuchel in a file photo. (Credit: Twitter/@ChelseaFC)
By Karthik Raman | Oct 21, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided an update on the injuries suffered by Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner during the 4-0 victory over Malmo. The manager further insisted that he has no regrets over including Lukaku in his line-up despite him needing to be replaced in the first half. The Blues defeated the Swedish club 4-0 on what was turning out to be a near-perfect evening for Tuchel and his team in the Champions League. However, the victory was soured a bit as strikers Lukaku and Werner were both forced off with injuries before half-time. “Romelu twisted his ankle when he was fouled in the box and Timo has a hamstring injury, so it will take a while for both of them,” said Tuchel after the match, as per the club’s website. 

“We need more examinations to be more precise but they will be out for some matches. It was necessary that Romelu was on the pitch, he started very strong. I spoke with him about the situation, that I think he carries a bit of a mental fatigue around with him, and that I think it’s also normal, but he’s our number nine, he’s our reference up front and the best thing against mental fatigue is a goal and we knew that we could be the dominant team.”

‘Maybe without him it’s not 2-0’

Tuchel further explained the reason behind playing Romelu Lukaku in the Starting XI. “We knew today we built a fast attack with Mason and Timo around him, and him as the reference point up front in the middle, and I had a strong belief that he could in a Champions League match turn things around in terms of scoring and being decisive, which he actually did because he was super strong in our start and he took the foul, so maybe without him it’s not 2-0,” he added.

“I don’t regret it because it’s not a muscle injury and not from physical fatigue, he is more a little bit overplayed. That is just my opinion, maybe I’m not even right, and it was the moment to give him confidence and let him play. I don’t regret it because he was decisive and things like this can happen, it’s just bad luck.”

Tuchel then went on to discuss the performance of those two players’ replacements – Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi – and how their injuries provide an opportunity for other players. “There’s always a chance and it’s always necessary to prove a point now. We will have some games without Romelu, we will have some games without Timo, so everybody is invited to join the race for minutes on the pitch and when they’re on the pitch they need to show the hunger and the determination to be decisive, to be in the box,” he explained.

“This is how it is and they did today and there’s still room to improve. On Saturday we need the same performance, the same hunger, the same determination from whomever starts for us because we need goals to win matches. We want to find solutions, but without Romelu and Timo that’s clear, and everybody joins the race to be decisive for us.”





Related Post

HIGHLIGHTS

Buzzwords