Thomas Tuchel has dropped Romelu Lukaku from his Chelsea starting XI to face Lille in the Champions League.
The Belgian striker came under fire following his performance in Chelsea's win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Lukaku recorded just seven touches in 90 minutes to put an exclamation on his struggles as both he and his teammates struggled to find the 28-year-old's place in the match.
Speaking ahead of the last 16 clash against the French Champions, Tuchel expressed the difficulty of the situation.
"Ha, what can I do? I don't know. Well, now we have to deal with it, the data is out there and speaks a certain language," said the German coach.
"He was not involved in our game, it's sometimes like this with strikers. If they struggle a bit with self-confidence, if they struggle a little bit to find the space and to get involved against a defensive side, it can be like this.
"It's of course not what we want and not what Romelu wants, but it's also not the time to laugh about him, make jokes about him. He's in the spotlight of course, and we will protect him."
A front three made up of Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic has been chosen instead as the Blues return to Tuchel's 3-4-3 formation.
