“It’s not right” – Kevin Campbell explains why he is unhappy with Chelsea’s reported decision to drop Lukaku from Liverpool game
Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has explained why he is unhappy with Chelsea's decision to drop Romelu Lukaku from the squad to face Liverpool.
Lukaku grabbed the headlines this week after he told Sky Italia that he is not happy with his current situation at Chelsea. The Belgium international even expressed his desire to return to Inter Milan despite only joining the Blues in August.
The 28-year-old's comments have not been well received by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. According to reports, the German tactician has decided to leave Lukaku out of the squad to face Liverpool today.
Former Arsenal frontman Campbell, though, is not happy with the reported decision to drop Lukaku from the team. The Englishman stressed the need for Chelsea to beat Liverpool to keep their title hopes alive before insisting leaving the Belgian out of the squad is not right. Campbell told Sky Sports:
"You're cutting your nose off to spite your face. You need all your weapons, look at Manchester City, 11 points clear. This is your next biggest rival who you have to beat at home and you're leaving your star striker, 'possibly' out or on the bench, it's not right, it is not right, you've got to play him"
🗣 "You're cutting your nose off to spite your face. It's not right you've got to play him."
@1kevincampbell disagrees with the decision to not include Romelu Lukaku in a vital game against Liverpool https://t.co/3nEBOnZxqn
Lukaku has found the back of the net in each of Chelsea's last two Premier League games. However, Tuchel has reportedly decided to punish him by dropping him from the squad to face Liverpool despite his recent form.
It remains to be seen if Tuchel's decision to leave Lukaku out of the team will come back to haunt him.
Chelsea and Liverpool lock horns in the Premier League
Chelsea and Liverpool are set to face off against each other in the Premier League today. Jurgen Klopp's side will travel to Stamford Bridge with the hope of returning home with three points.
First matchday of 2022!
#CheLiv, let’s go! 👊 https://t.co/QFlCHF0GOg
However, Liverpool will be without Klopp for the trip to London after the German tested positive for COVID this week. Three Reds players are also said to have gone into self isolation, while the likes of Divock Origi and Harvey Elliott are yet to return from injuries.
Both Chelsea and Liverpool have a number of players unavailable for selection due to different reasons. It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious on the night as both teams aim to close the gap with runaway leaders Manchester City.