Thomas Tuchel has questioned whether Romelu Lukaku is ‘mentally tired’ following the Chelsea’s forward’s run without a goal.
Lukaku has failed to score in his last six appearances for the west Londoners, struggling to maintain the initial form he showed following his £97.5m club-record move from Inter Milan during the summer.
Chelsea face Malmo in the Champions League group stages on Wednesday evening and ahead of the clash, Tuchel was asked whether the Blues’ squad are still adapting to their marquee arrival.
The German believes the understanding between Lukuku and his teammates will improve in the coming months, but revealed his belief that the 28-year-old is showing signs of fatigue following a heavy workload for both club and country.
“This [the understanding] will increase every day because we are in the process of adapting to each other,” Tuchel told his pre-match press conference.
“In the very moment, I feel Romelu a bit overplayed. I think he played too many competitions over the summer, too many competitions with the national team and now he has played the Nations League.
“He is a fantastic athlete and such a competitive guy that he digs in deep, he wants to win these things and he never takes it easy and judges games.
“He wants to be out there and win so I know how much he wanted to have a good outcome for Belgium in the Euros, and the Nations League meant a lot to him too.
“It was a huge match for him personally, it means a lot to him to play for his country. So he takes it really seriously and if it doesn’t go well he always takes it on his shoulders.
“I feel him a bit mentally tired. Not hugely that we have concern but for me he does not fully enjoy without having second or third thoughts, for me he overplayed and this is the key point.
“Once he finds his rhythm and things a bit easier he will be fine but it is hard to judge if he really needs a break or if we need to keep him on the pitch.
“The next international break is coming but this is what I feel, particularly for him. Some other players too for me is the same with Mason and Jorgi, they struggle. They have a lot of weight to carry for the countries, they take it and they love it, they are competitors.
“If you play 1000 matches a year it can feel heavy although they love the game. This is what I feel.”
