Why Lukaku's return has saved Chelsea's season
Cameron Smith
- 27 Dec 2021 15:15 CST
- 5 min read
December is famously the trickiest, and arguably most important, month in the English top flight calendar.
The Christmas period sees games crammed together, and a team's form in December can have serious implications on how their season will look come May.
Arsenal and Tottenham, for example, have found immense form in December 2021, and look set to mount a charge for a finish in the top four.
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On the other hand, for Chelsea it hasn't gone quite as well. The Blues have suffered major injury issues, while positive COVID cases in the squad also played a huge role.
Unlike other clubs who were hit hard by positive coronavirus tests, Chelsea didn't have games postponed, and Thomas Tuchel's side suffered as a result.
They may have only lost one game during their poor run, but the Blues dropped from first to third in the Premier League, and currently sit six points behind table-toppers Manchester City.
Draws to Wolves, Everton and Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League were accompanied by the loss to West Ham, and unconvincing wins over Watford, Leeds and Brentford, as Chelsea headed into Christmas in their worst run of form of Tuchel's reign.
However, the Boxing Day win over Aston Villa saw the return of the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Romelu Lukaku from coronavirus.
Hudson-Odoi won a penalty and created an assist, but it was all about Lukaku.
Lukaku vs Aston Villa
After suffering from injury and contracting the coronavirus, Lukaku still hasn't started a league game for Chelsea since mid-October, but off the bench against Villa, it didn't look like it.
Chelsea often haven't played to Lukaku's strengths since his return to the club, but at Villa Park, the Belgian demonstrated just why they splashed the cash to bring hi back.
A beautifully guided header following some excellent movement put Chelsea 2-1 up, before he burst through on goal, bullied Matt Targett off the ball, and forced Ezri Konsa to concede penalty, which Jorginho converted.
It was the kind of performances Chelsea have been missing, and shows just why Tuchel wanted a centre forward in the summer.
Why his return is so important to Chelsea
Goals have been an issue for Chelsea recently, with slack performances being a common theme. During December, plenty of the issues were simply with lacklustre creative displays, and while Lukaku may not help massively in that department, his presence will provide something different moving forward.
Even when Chelsea have been poor this month, they've still had chances, but they haven't been taken. They may not have created as high quality, and as frequent, chances as earlier in the season, but a lack of clinical finishing has cost them.
Add Lukaku into the equation, and as seen against Aston Villa, he'll deliver.
Chelsea desperately needed something to arrest their downward slide, and Lukaku's return to fitness is exactly that.
Belgium's all-time record goal-scorer will provide the creative players in the Chelsea squad with the movement, awareness, and strength they need to thrive, and his intelligence on the pitch should give freedom to the likes of Mason Mount and Hudson-Odoi to cause havoc around him.
One thing is certain, however - Chelsea need to alter their system at times to suit Lukaku.
Play to Lukaku's strengths
The penalty he won against Aston Villa demonstrated Lukaku at his very best - using his pace and power in that right-hand channel on the counter-attack.
He caused mayhem for Inter when he was given space to run into cutting in from the right. In fact, he's so dangerous in that area that Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez has occasionally deployed him from the right, with Kevin de Bruyne through the middle.
Instead of playing quick, incisive football to ensure Lukaku is isolated against a defender and has space to run into, Chelsea have used him as primarily a hold-up man.
Now, he's done well in that role, as seen against Arsenal, and he is excellent with his back to goal, but he's even better when he's running with the ball at a defender.
Whether this means changing up the entire system, which is extremely unlikely, or creating a structured pattern that sees Lukaku drift wide when Chelsea are defending doesn't really matter, but the Blues do need to acknowledge how Lukaku can be best utilised.
Under Tuchel, Chelsea have become an immense defensive unit, so they wouldn't have too much trouble with sitting deeper at times, in order to soak up pressure, before releasing Lukaku on the break.
It's a tactic that would work better against the big sides, and something for Tuchel to consider.
Either way, with Manchester City and Liverpool looking so formidable, the return of Lukaku finally gives Chelsea the goal-scorer they need, and a glimmer of hope in their bid for the title.
