Thomas Tuchel has vowed to protect Romelu Lukaku and believes 'it is not the time to laugh about' the Chelsea forward’s struggles.
The striker completed a big-money transfer to Chelsea from Inter Milan during the summer transfer window last year.
Lukaku scored within a quarter of an hour of his second Chelsea debut away to Arsenal before going on to score six more times in all competitions by the end of December.
However, the Belgium international has struggled in recent months and only touched the ball seven times during his side’s 1-0 victory Crystal Palace on Saturday.
It was the lowest number any player has managed in a 90-minute Premier League appearance since at least 2003, when that data was first recorded.
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And speaking ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Lille tonight, Tuchel has admitted that he is unsure how to arrest Lukaku’s slump in form.
“What can I do? I don’t know. We have to deal with it. The data is out there and speaks the language that he wasn’t in our game,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s like this with strikers if they struggle a little bit with self- confidence and [to] find the space to get involved with a good defensive side.
“Of course it’s not what we want and [not] what Romelu wants but it’s also not the time to laugh about him and make jokes about him. He’s in the spotlight and we’ll protect him.”
After tonight’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg tie against Lille, Chelsea face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
And Tuchel has likened Lukaku’s struggles to those that former high-profile strikers who have failed at Stamford Bridge also faced.
“There is a history of strikers struggling a bit at Chelsea so it is not the easiest place in the world for strikers,” the German said.
“Obviously I don’t know exactly why it is like this but it is. In my opinion Chelsea is considered a strong defensive team that is physical and has a certain attitude and grip in playing competitive football.
“We demand a lot from our strikers in terms of defending. We want to be a physical, hardworking group that is not shy to make it a physical and not only a skilful game.
“That plays maybe a part. We have many games throughout our year together where we create many chances and struggle to convert them.
“Now, in the moment, there’s a time when we struggle to create too many big chances for our strikers. This is normal in a period of the season.
“We are aware of the subject and, like always in football, it is not always just one reason to solve the problem.”
