[골닷컴] Reporter Man-seong Han = Premier League legend Thierry Henry (44), who returned to coaching the Belgian national team, expressed disappointment in the situation of forward Romelu Lukaku (28), who is having a hard time adapting to Chelsea following moving to Chelsea.
Lukaku moved to Chelsea from Inter for around £100m ahead of the season. He played for Chelsea from 2011 to 2014. However, Lukaku did not have an edge in his starting competition at Chelsea, and was loaned to West Brom and Everton in succession. Eventually, he moved to Everton completely in 2014, ending his relationship with Chelsea. However, Chelsea have spent a lot of money to re-sign Lukaku following he won Serie A and Inter with his outstanding performance last season.
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However, Lukaku’s performance this season has not yet lived up to expectations. He has 10 goals and 2 assists, including in his cup competitions this season. This isn’t his worst record, but Lukaku’s Premier League record is only five goals and one assist. Even his recent influence over Crystal Palace was limited, with only seven total touches throughout the game.
Henri explained that Lukaku’s lag at Chelsea was not only because of his performance but also because he didn’t fit in with the team’s tactics. In an interview with CBS, he said, “The question arose from the moment Lukaku moved to Chelsea. There was no guarantee that he would be able to fit in with Chelsea. It will take some time for Lukaku to adapt to Chelsea’s tactics now. This will not be easy. But apart from adaptation, it’s not normal for him to have only seven touches in a game.”
“Chelsea puts pressure and the three players in the attacking triangle actively change positions,” said Henry. Why did Chelsea have to sign him?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Henri worked as a coach for the Belgian national team from 2016 to 2018 and developed a close relationship with Lukaku. He is currently returning to coach the Belgian national team following resigning as Montreal Impact manager last year.
