"It’s not Chelsea’s fault"– Paolo Di Canio labels Romelu Lukaku as a"dull" and "functional player"
West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio has dubbed Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku a 'functional and dull' player, saying how he's not surprised that the Belgian has gone five games without scoring a goal.
The 53-year-old was clearly unimpressed with Lukaku's performance against Brentford this weekend. Here's what he said:
"I heard (Giuseppe) Bergomi comparing (Napoli striker Victor) Osimhen and Lukaku. But Osimhen has a different spirit, he's not dull like him. When the difficulty increased he scored no goals in five games with Chelsea. And it's not Chelsea's fault, they are first (in the table) even without his goals."
Di Canio played over 100 games for The Hammers and netted 47 goals. He described Lukaku as a "functional" player and compared his performances to Fernando Llorente's at Antonio Conte's Juventus.
He added:
"Lukaku does not score. Lukaku is a functional player, as Llorente was in (Antonio) Conte's Juve. Even if Lukaku is stronger than Llorente. Lukaku is functional to a certain type of game."
Romelu Lukaku's addition to Chelsea's already handsome-looking roster has been deemed a game-changer.
The Belgian's agility and strength make it very difficult for the opposition to contain him. Sadly, after a rather promising start, Lukaku's performances for the club have been underwhelming.
Chelsea gaffer Thomas Tuchel insists he's not worried about Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea managed to eke out a win against Brentford this weekend. Their opponents looked extremely dangerous, forcing the back-line to be at the top of their game.
Outstanding. 🤩 https://t.co/KfomZnO4gV
While Chelsea got away with a win thanks to a screamer from Ben Chilwell, Lukaku looked out of place. His last goal for the Blues came on September 11, and has looked guileless ever since.
Even better from this angle btw. 😎 https://t.co/fEEFgXVOBc
However, gaffer Thomas Tuchel defended the Belgian and stated how he's not worried about the 28-year-old's dry spell.
Tuchel said:
"I am not concerned as I felt him a bit tired, and then isolated because we were defending too deep as a block. Both of them, Romelu and Timo, were too far away to help us escape the pressure. That was the problem, but I have no concerns. Normally the best thing is that he scores but he is very unselfish at the moment, looking for Timo in good situations."
On the flip side, Lukaku has been absolutely unstoppable for the Belgian national team. He is the top scorer for the national team with over 68 goals.
Despite their loss to France in the semi-finals of the Nations League, Lukaku managed to find the back of the net in the 40th minute and was perhaps the best player on the pitch.
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Lukaku will be hoping to find the same form at club level as well as Chelsea take on Malmo on Wednesday night for their third Champions League group stage match.