Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel hints at Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner strike partnership to continue ahead of Tottenham tie
Speaking to the club’s official website, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel refused to rule out pairing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner up front, after the duo combined well in the 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Chelsea had started off the game against Spurs with Kai Havertz and Lukaku leading the line. However, after Havertz was taken off at half-time due to injury and replaced by Werner, Stamford Bridge witnessed an exciting strike partnership with the German and Belgian looking dangerous together.
When asked whether Timo’s return from COVID could prompt him to use both Lukaku and Werner in a strike partnership, Tuchel failed to dismiss the possibility.
“We have our style, we have our positions, and we have enough possibilities. We can play with two strikers, we can play 5-3-2, we’ve played this many times with the ball and off the ball.”
The German boss diverted from his preferred 3-4-3 formation and instead played with a four-man defence at Stamford Bridge against Spurs. Tuchel admitted that his side have a few options when it comes to formations.
Timo Werner has missed the previous five games due to COVID, but looked lively on his return to the pitch and linked up effectively with Lukaku. Werner followed up on his display against Spurs with a goal against Chesterfield in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Although Werner has returned strongly into the team, Tuchel has challenged other players to prove a point once they take to the field, given there is competition for places within the squad.
“Players need to show they are good enough to step up. When they start, they need to show they should be on the pitch. It is very easy, we are not inventing new stuff to make players happy or better. It is on them to show us.”
Although Chelsea sit second in the Premier League table, we have faced our struggles in front of goal this season. Havertz seems to be the only forward in our squad who has proven to be consistent when it comes to scoring goals, with Lukaku and Werner yet to hit their strides this season.
Lukaku began the season brightly and was seen scoring in consecutive matches since his arrival from Italy in the summer, but has tailed off since then. Werner has often been criticised for his finishing during his time at Stamford Bridge so far, but the German seems to have slowly picked up some form ahead of the second half of the season.
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Given their recent attacking displays, we can hope that Lukaku and Werner continue their form till the end of the season if we are to catch up with Manchester City at the top and win silverware in the cup competitions. With one foot in the final of the Carabao Cup after the impressive display against Spurs in the first leg, Tuchel may well rely on Werner and Lukaku’s strike partnership to fire him all the way to success.