Several Chelsea supporters on social media have told Thomas Tuchel to field Romelu Lukaku from the first minute against Watford tomorrow.
The 28-year-old hasn’t started a club fixture for nearly two months, following the ankle injury he sustained in the Champions League win over Malmo in early October.
Lukaku did make his comeback on the weekend, coming off the bench for the final flourishes of the frustrating 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Tuchel might tread cautiously around the striker and use him as a substitute again.
Or, the Chelsea manager may decide the Belgian is back to full health and needs a full run-out.
Fans of the Champions League holders certainly hoped he picks the latter.
Here are their Romelu request on Twitter:
I was buzzing. Has to start tomorrow
— Johnathan Mann (@MannHandledCFC) November 30, 2021
Start both tomorrow
— Lefty (@CFCLefty) November 30, 2021
START LUKAKU TOMORROW.
— PULISIÇATE (@Pulisicate) November 30, 2021
Let Lukaku ease his way in
Getting Lukaku up and running again is of course a massive priority for Chelsea.
Yet, they should certainly not rush their centre-forward into a rapid recovery.
After all, they fared pretty well without him leading the line.
In the eight fixtures the number nine missed whilst being tendered to, Tuchel’s team netted an impressive 24 times.
This includes the four they scored past Malmo after Lukaku was removed from the Stamford Bridge surface.
Therefore, it’s plausible to cope in his absence.
Poor form from Romelu
Plus, the former Inter Milan attacker hasn’t really been the offensive threat first witnessed after re-joining Chelsea in the summer.
Prior to his ankle wound, Lukaku hadn’t scored since the middle of September.
Add his cameo appearance on Sunday, and he is now on an eight-game run without a goal.
But Watford could be the perfect opponent to end such a sour streak.
The Hornets have conceded on 14 occasions in Claudio Ranieri’s six matches at the helm.