Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been told by Glenn Hoddle that his decision to leave out Romelu Lukaku was the 'right call' for the Champions League first leg against Lille.
Lukaku, 28, was the main topic of Tuchel's press conference for this Round of 16 tie due to the fact that he only made seven touches in the Crystal Palace win at the weekend.
His ineffectiveness in that contest has now cost him his position in Tuesday night's starting eleven as the German decided to opt for Kai Havertz in the false nine position.
"I felt him a little bit tired. He looked a little exhausted and you have to consider that he’s played a lot," Tuchel explained to the Chelsea website when questioned about this specific decision.
He then went on to add: "We’ve had extra time [in the Club World Cup final], a lot of travelling recently and it wasn’t easy for him against Palace, this wasn’t his best performance.
"So maybe it will be a little bit easier for him to come on from the bench tonight and turn things around if we need him."
Whilst the majority of the fanbase were happy with their manager's stance on this issue, all of Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Eni Aluko and Glen Hoddle were split on the Lukaku dilemma.
One ally Tuchel certainly has in this situation is the former Chelsea manager who labelled his decision as the 'right' one.
Hoddle said on BT Sport 2 coverage of the first leg: "It’s obviously a big call. I think it’s the right one. He’s not been playing well enough and any sort of manager has the right to drop a player if he’s not playing up to his very best.
"Since that interview, lets face it, he’s been nowhere near his best. He had an injury, that stupid interview which upset everything - it’s upset him more than anything and at the end of the day it’s the time to take him out.
"They weren’t doing too bad without him with those three up top with no recognised centre forward."
One pundit who wasn't as much in favour with the decision and whom in fact felt 'sorry' for the club record signing was former Chelsea women striker Aluko.
"There has been a debate about how much Lukaku fits into the system for Tuchel - system versus player. There is no way about it, Champions League knockout game, Lukaku wants to play so it’s a statement to the player," she said.
"We’re coming into this game with a headline of seven touches against Crystal Palace, it’s a negative conversation. I feel a bit sorry for Lukaku. I don’t know what he can do.
"There is no striker in the world, including the best, who does not feed off service and I don’t think Chelsea are necessarily playing to his strengths.
"I don’t know what’s changed between now and the beginning of the season when Lukaku only needed an inch to score so I think it’s a little bit harsh and I think that the manager is making a statement about the team rather than Lukaku."
You can follow live coverage of Chelsea vs Lille in the Champions League on football.london's live blog here.
