Chelsea has a Romelu Lukaku problem at the moment

One thing was evident as far as Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel were concerned by the end of the 2020/21 campaign: the club need more firepower up top. The Blues were relatively OK against more notable teams, with what they had being able to get in behind high lines, but they were struggling against the low blocks set up by bottom tier clubs. When it was confirmed that both Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud were set to leave the club, Chelsea suddenly found itself fully invested in the market for a new striker.

The Blues essentially needed someone who could produce 20 goals per season. Their targets were limited given the financial restrictions and market stagnation due to COVID-19, but after a summer of negotiations, Chelsea was able to land Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan. It was one of the most popular decisions the board had made in recent years as supporters and ex-players were over the moon about the record signing. The player himself was delighted to be back at his old club, as well, where he was unable to make his mark previously. Despite all of the positive emotions during the first few weeks, things have gone downhill ever since for the two sides.

Chelsea has a Romelu Lukaku problem right now as he seems an awkward fit

To put it simply, things haven’t gone as planned since he started playing. There were a few goals here and there—most notably his 14′ goal at the Emirates in his debut—but the negative impact Lukaku’s presence has had on the team has been the most severe of all. As the season drags on, even his work rate has started to decrease. The Belgian hit rock bottom when he registered the lowest number of touches ever by a player who has completed 90 minutes in the Premier League since Opta started recording the stats (seven against Crystal Palace).

Rather than fixing their issues against lower sides, the Blues have only made things worse as they continue to have trouble against a lot of opponents in the bottom half of the Premier League, even with Lukaku leading the charge. It does not matter if the opposition is Premier League leader Manchester City or League One team Plymouth. Though it may seem strange, when Timo Werner was not scoring goals, he compensated it with his work rate. The assist to Hakim Ziyech’s winner in the FA Cup and the run he made that opened up the space for Kai Havertz to run into to score the UEFA Champions League winning goal are some examples of this. Meanwhile, if Lukaku is not scoring, he’s shown an inability to involve himself in the game whatsoever.

Chelsea under Tuchel won all three matches against Man City last season with Werner having significant impact. However, this season, the Citizens were able to win home and away against the Blues without any impact from Lukaku, who started both matches. Even when the Belgian says he prefers running toward the ball, rather than being a target man, his displays say he can barely do that properly. If his first touch has not gone wrong, he will more often than not end up running ahead of the ball. Rather than seeing the best of his Inter Milan version, Chelsea has so far only just seen the worst of his Manchester United self.

It’s no wonder his teammates prefer passing the ball to someone else rather than Lukaku, who is scarcely interested in making moves or runs. Another negative aspect to his game is his positioning. When the ball is in play, he will be between defenders where a pass cannot be made. However, as soon as the defender lets their guard down, once the ball is not in a dangerous position, he will move into a visible space to show his hands as if he was in space all along. It has been a feature of his play for a long time, and this can fool some fans into thinking his teammates have let him down.

The interview and constant talks of his love for Inter Milan have not helped anyone either. Until now, this has been a transfer that has gone wrong completely. There is, nevertheless, time for everyone to recover. But for that to happen, the £97.5 million talisman will have to start by showing a tad bit of effort, fight and care.

What do you believe the solution is to the current striker issue at Chelsea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!