‘If I was Tuchel’: Michael Owen delivers concrete message on what Chelsea should do with striker

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Michael Owen has delivered a concrete message to Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel by urging him to show faith in Romelu Lukaku and start him every game.

Lukaku, who’s scored 10 goals in 28 appearances so far this season, has underwhelmed since re-signing for the Blues in the summer from Inter Milan.

The 28-year-old Belgian striker is back at Stamford Bridge wearing the number nine shirt, and there is a lot of pressure on him to be the focal point of the team.

However, the left-footed frontman has found it difficult in several games to make an impact.

Interestingly, he was an unused substitute earlier this week during Chelsea’s 2-0 win against Lille in the Champions League last-16 tie. His replacement in the centre-forward role, Kai Havertz, seized his opportunity with a goal and eye-catching performance.

BT Sport pundit Owen strongly thinks Lukaku should be in every Chelsea XI, though. He feels the £97.5million has too much quality not to deliver a great output if he starts consistently.

“If you’re going to spend £100million on me and I’m scoring goals all the time for Inter Milan, surely you want me and are going to back me through thick and thin… I think sometimes you’ve got to just trust someone through thick and thin,” Owen told BT Sport.

“If you show someone love, if you show someone trust, it pays you back in spades later on. If I was Tuchel, I would say ‘you are my main source of goals in this squad, no question. You’ve done it in the Premier League. You’ve done it all over the world. You will score goals. I trusted you to pay that kind of money. Right, you’re playing. And if you play poor you’re playing again because you are my man. I bet you he would go score a bucket load of goals.'”

Chelsea future

In fairness, Lukaku’s started the majority of matches when fit this campaign. It would be a different conversation if he’s left out of this Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, though.

He’s the big-money signing with the pressure on him to lead the line, but he’s looked a shadow of the player he was at Inter.

Jamie Carragher is predicting that the Belgium international will end up back with Inter next season. However, fellow pundits Thierry Henry and Micah Richards view his future at Stamford Bridge.

There may be a big indication about his future when it comes to the team selection this weekend.

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