Chelsea needs Mateo Kovacic on the pitch to help Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea broke its transfer record this summer by sending £97.5 million to Inter Milan to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge. The Blues were so willing to do this deal because they believed the Belgian would be the final piece to the puzzle needed to compete for the Premier League title once again. Thus far, this could not have been further from the truth as they’re currently sitting third, 15 points (albeit with a game in-hand) behind Manchester City. This gap is not solely due to the underwhelming attacking play from Chelsea, but that certainly hasn’t helped matters down the stretch.

Lukaku has had his fair share of bad luck this season through injuries and COVID-19. He also dug his own grave a bit when he gave an ill-advised interview with Sky Italia that saw him become a lot more unlikable in the eyes of the fans. The pressure has begun to mount on Lukaku because of the comments and he hit a rough patch at the worst possible time shortly after. The 28-year-old has continued to score from time-to-time though, notching 10 goals already this season across all competitions. Regardless, the Blues need Lukaku to reach the heights he did in Italy, so what steps can they take to ensure they get the 20+ goals per season they brought him in to score?

Chelsea needs to start Mateo Kovacic to get the best out of Romelu Lukaku

The Lukaku struggles reached an all-time low on Saturday. Spectators would be forgiven for believing Chelsea was playing a man down throughout the entire game against Crystal Palace. The starting striker was only able to manage seven touches at Selhurst Park over the course of 90 minutes. He was as uninvolved as ever before and it showed as the Blues required an 89′ goal from Hakim Ziyech to defeat a mid-table side.

Thomas Tuchel noted in the post-match press conference that Lukaku’s failure to impact the game was not entirely due to a lack of service. The German implied that his talisman could do a much better job getting involved in the game as a whole. It’s no secret that Lukaku is not as versatile as Harry Kane, but he’s also never pretended to be the same player. It’s rare spectators will see Lukaku drop into the midfield to pick up possession, it’s definitely not the way forward. There is no simple solution to make the striker more comfortable in Tuchel’s system. Suffice it to say, if there was, one of the best managers in world football would’ve figured it out by now. There are, however, steps that Chelsea can take to get its talisman more involved in the final third.

The single most important factor is Mateo Kovacic’s inclusion in the team. Although a lot of talk lately has focused on the partnership between Kai Havertz and Lukaku, it is actually that of the Croatian and the Blues’ record transfer that has the most promising return. Kovacic has been arguably Chelsea’s Player of the Year thus far. He’s on another level this season as he’s finally added an attacking output (seven goal contributions in 28 matches) of any kind to his game. Kovacic’s distribution and eye for passes have improved, as well. He’s also the only midfielder that looks to play any kind of forward pass into the feet of the Belgian No. 9.

The Blues are still missing that chief creator—the Cesc Fabregas type—in the middle of the park. Right now, Kovacic is the closest thing they have in their ranks and he’s become a crucial part of the way in which Chelsea attacks. It’s not hard to figure out why the Blues looked better with Kovacic playing an advanced role in the 4-1-4-1. Nor is it a coincidence that as soon as the midfielder was subbed on at Selhurst Park, Lukaku was able to finally get a shot off.

Chelsea is going to chop and change formations for the remainder of the year, that much is guaranteed. There has been a lot of talk about the best formation required to get the best out of the Belgian—given his striking partnership at Inter Milan—but the main focus should be surrounding him with players who put the ball at his feet. If Lukaku isn’t getting involved consistently, it’s awfully difficult to pick out the most effective shape for his game. The Blues paid nearly £100 million for the striker this summer, they’re going to need to make this reunion work. Kovacic is the catalyst that’ll help spark Lukaku’s return to greatness.

What do you think the key to unlocking Lukaku could be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!