To say Romelu Lukaku has struggled on his return to Chelsea would be stating the obvious, with the Belgian coming under the microscope for every performance in recent weeks.
The 28-year-old’s five goals and one assist in the Premier League have not quite lived up to expectations, while injuries and off-the-field issues plagued the middle of the season.
Lukaku has missed eight games this season through injury, while it took time for him to start a game again after a sprain, usually making an appearance from the bench.
Following that spell came an interview with Sky Italia, aimed as a way to appease Inter Milan fans after he left, but it instead backfired on both Nerazzurri and Chelsea fans.
It’s only got tougher for the striker since then, but that’s not to say all is lost at Stamford Bridge, far from it.
In fact, you don’t have to look too far to see an example of redemption for a quality forward this very season.
That is, of course, in reference to Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who had pushed for a move to Manchester City in the summer, but wasn’t able to make the switch.
The England captain discussed his desire for trophies as a big reason for the move, before not showing up for training after the European Championships.
This, of course, prompted a reaction from Spurs fans that were disappointed in their star striker.
After that moment, the spotlight was on Kane for every single match.
Last season’s Golden Boot winner couldn’t find his own shooting boots early on, taking seven games to find the net for the first time in the Premier League for the season. It took another seven just to double that tally.
Since then, the 28-year-old has found the net more regularly, with an impressive brace sinking Manchester City at the weekend.
In that moment, the actions and words of the summer were all forgotten. Lukaku just needs his own moment like that.
If the Belgian can find that bit of confidence, that one game where it all goes right again, momentum can snowball.
Tuchel has said it himself, discussing the need for patience when dealing with the striker, saying: “I still believe that he will [score goals]. We need a bit more patience than we all have.
“We demand a lot from our strikers in terms of intensity, so there are several reasons why things are maybe like this and we are on it.
“We want to bring Romelu in better situations, we want to understand him better, it is an ongoing process but we still have trust because he has proved that he is the guy to have the last touch and score goals.”
When that moment comes, no one knows. The lack of touches against Crystal Palace serves a stark reminder of how tough Lukaku is finding things at the moment.
But as the old saying goes: “Form is temporary, class is permanent.” Surely it isn’t long until he has his Kane moment and shows just how class he really is once again.
