Lukaku disasterclass! Pochettino's plans rocked by Champions League final cameo

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 11 Jun 2023 09:15 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea might not have been involved, but Mauricio Pochettino may have been the manager who learned most from Saturday’s Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter.

As the Blues’ Premier League rivals celebrated their treble success, Pochettino was given a glimpse into the reality of the squad he is inheriting.

Reports had suggested that he was willing to pin his hopes on Romelu Lukaku to rejuvenate an ailing front line. If these are indeed accurate, he may be having second thoughts after what unfolded at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.

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It was telling that Inter boss Simone Inzaghi, who had Lukaku on loan for the season, elected to leave the Belgium international on the bench, with veteran striker Edin Dzeko preferred from the outset of the game. This has been normal in the Champions League this season.

Lukaku was called upon in the second half, and just why he was left on the bench was laid bare in a cameo display that was arguably best summed up by the forward inadvertently blocking a header from teammate Federico Dimarco on the line. Of course, this was not his fault, but it encapsulated his bumbling tendency to falter at key moments.

It was one of a hat-trick of disasters for the striker. The first arrived shortly after he had arrived on the field. Lautaro Martinez pounced on a moment of indecision in the City defence to leave the Premier League side’s rearguard exposed. He might have pulled the ball back to the somewhat unchecked Lukaku on the penalty spot, but he instead elected to shoot from what looked like an impossible angle. Ederson saved, the chance gone.

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Lukaku's incredible miss

Was Lautaro wary of his colleagues when he made that decision or was it simply a calculated bluff? Either way, it was the wrong call and deprived the forward a golden opportunity.

The Argentine’s decision to shoot, though, was greater justified with seconds of the match remaining as Inter chased a 1-0 deficit.

Lukaku had the chance to equalise with a simple header from close range. All required was a header on target that was not directed at Ederson. He achieved part one but contrived to hit the shot-stopper, who knew little about the save, though did smartly stall on his line, predicting the forward would try to go back across him. Still, it was a chance that should have been buried.

Perhaps Pochettino can help Lukaku back to becoming a striker who once netted 25 goals in a single Premier League season for Everton. But given Chelsea’s perilous state, the expensive gamble of a new signing is looking increasingly attractive.