Lukaku omitted from Chelsea team vs Liverpool after outburst

Chelsea dropped Romelu Lukaku from the squad for Sunday’s game against Liverpool after the club’s record-signing expressed frustration about his role in the team.

The interview was conducted before he scored last Sunday and again on Wednesday in the Premier League but it was only aired later by broadcaster Sky in Italy. The striker said he was “not happy with the situation” at Chelsea and indicated he didn’t like manager Thomas Tuchel’s style of play.

Tuchel on Romelu Lukaku out: “The thing got too big, too noisy, so close to the match, so I decided to protect the preparation for the match”, he told @SkySports. 🔵 #CFC

“Of course we have spoken, twice to the main players – but after that we had to realise it’s too big”. pic.twitter.com/qm3AJnDjPS

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 2, 2022

ICYMI: Thomas Tuchel's pre-match reaction to Romelu Lukaku's interview.pic.twitter.com/klwOQTKuA1

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) January 2, 2022

Lukaku first joined Chelsea in 2011 but spent two years on loan before being sold to Everton in 2014. He returned to Chelsea this past offseason in a deal worth nearly 100 million pounds (then around $140 million). after he netted 24 Serie A goals to help Inter win the Italian league title for the first time since 2010.

Lukaku: “I’m not happy with the situation and that’s only natural. The head coach has decided to play a different system and I mustn’t let up, I need to keep working hard and be professional. I’m not happy with the situation but I’m a grafter and I mustn’t let up” pic.twitter.com/xamRI8DcGV

— Patrick Kendrick (@patrickendrick) December 30, 2021

But Lukaku has had a frustrating first season back in London where he was out injured for a month and missed time in December after contracting the coronavirus.