“It will take a while for both of them…”
Thomas Tuchel has provided an update on the injuries suffered by Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner on Wednesday night.
Chelsea beat Malmo 4-0 in the Champions League, but it came at as a cost, as their two preferred strikers were taken off with injuries.
Tuchel spoke specifically about Lukaku before the game, insisting his game load needed to be managed, so it was a relative surprise to see him starting on Wednesday.
Speaking after the Malmo victory, the Chelsea boss defended his decision to play Lukaku, despite the issues with his fitness, insiting that he did not regret starting the Belgian.
Thomas Tuchel on Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner
He said: “It was necessary that Romelu was on the pitch. He started strong, I spoke to him about it, about mental fatigue carried around with him.
“But he’s our number nine and our reference up front. And the best thing for mental fatigue is a goal. We knew we could be the dominant team with Mason (Mount) and Timo around him and him as the reference up front.
“And I had the strong belief that he could turn things around in terms of scoring and being decisive.
“He was super strong in our start and did that. He took the foul to win the first penalty, so maybe without him it’s not 2-0. I don’t regret it because it’s not a muscle injury.
“It was the moment to give him confidence and let him play and I don’t regret it. These things can happen and it’s bad luck. Maybe I don’t know much more than anyone else about the injuries. Romelu twisted his ankle on the foul in the box, and Timo has a hamstring injury.
“It will take a while for both of them, and we will need more examinations to be precise. But they will be out for some matches.”
Werner and Lukaku out for “some matches”
If the two strikers are to miss a few weeks as Tuchel suggested, it may not have come at the worst time.
Chelsea’s next fixtures consist of games against Norwich, Southampton, Newcastle, Malmo and Burnley. While none of these games will be easy, Tuchel will be relieved that they have some games against the so-called big six already out of the way.
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