Thomas Tuchel defends struggling Romelu Lukaku amid poor form.
The Belgian striker has been getting the stick since his arrival from Inter Milan in the summer of 2021.
He has scored 10 goals in 28 games across all competitions this season.
Last weekend against Crystal Palace, the striker touched the ball only seven times, the least by any Premier League player since 2003.
Thomas Tuchel insists that the 28-year old striker needs to be protected.
“What can I do? I don’t know,” Tuchel said with a chuckle. “Well… now we have to deal with it. The data is out there and the data speaks a certain language. He was not involved in our game.
“It is 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 good defensive side. It can be like this and it is of course not what we want and of course not what Romelu wants. But it is also not the time to laugh about him and make jokes about him. He is in the spotlight of course and we will protect him because he is our player.”
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